Dr.  Seaman  A.  Knapp 


THE 
KNAPP   METHOD 

OF 
GROWING  COTTON 

By 
W.  B.  MERCIER 

Agriculturist  and  Field  Agent,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 
and 

H.  E.  SAVELY 

Agriculturist  and  Field  Agent,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture 


Illustrated 


GARDEN  CITY  NEW  YORK 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

1913 


Copyright,  1913,  £y 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

All  rights  reserved,   including  that  of 

translation  into  foreign  languages, 

including  the  Scandinavian 


TO  THE  LATE 

DR.  SEAMAN  A.  KNAPP 

THIS  WORK  IS  DEDICATED  IN  APPRECIATION  OF 

HIS  GREAT  SERVICE  TO  THE  COTTON 

FARMERS  OF  THE  SOUTH 


312834 


PREFACE 

In  the  preparation  of  this  book  it  has  been 
the  aim  of  the  authors  to  give  in  concise  form  a 
practical  treatise  on  Cotton,  instructive  to  the 
cotton  grower. 

The  authors  desire  to  express  their  thanks 
to  the  many  friends  who  have  assisted  them 
in  this  work,  and  especially  to  the  following: 
Messrs.  B.  L.  Moss,  J.  A.  Evans,  and  E.  C. 
Ewing  in  reading  the  manuscript  of  certain 
chapters.  In  the  preparation  of  this  manu- 
script, we  have  consulted  freely  the  publications 
of  the  State  Experiment  Stations  and  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture;  "Cotton,"  by 
Burkett  and  Poe;  "Southern  Field  Crops,"  by 
J.  F.  Duggar,  and  "Cyclopedia  of  Agricul- 
ture," Bailey. 

In  the  list  of  illustrations  credit  is  given  in 
detail  to  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
and  to  State  Experiment  Stations  and  others 
that  contributed  photographs  for  this  volume. 

vii 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAG* 

I.     Introduction.    History  of  Cotton  3 

II.     Description  of  Cotton  Plant       .  13 

III.  Climate  and  Soils       .     .     .     .  23 

IV.  Cotton  Culture     .....  33 
V.     Fertilizers  for  Cotton        ...  47 

VI,     Improvement  of  Cotton  by  Seed 

Selection       .     .     ...     .  69 

VII.     Varieties    of    American    Upland 

Cotton     ........  79 

VIII.     Some  Cotton  Diseases  and  Insect 
Pests  —  With  Suggestions  for 

Their  Control     .....  97 

IX.    Harvesting  and  Marketing  Cotton  121 

X.     Cost  of  Cotton  Production     .     .  135 
XI.     Equipment  in  Teams  and  Tools 

for  Cotton  Farms    ....  145 

XII.     Cotton  By-products    ....  151 

XIII.  Soil    Improvement    on    Cotton 

Farms 161 

XIV.  Outlook  for  the  Cotton  Industry  181 
XV.     The  Supply  and  Distribution  of 

Cotton 191 

Supplement 197 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Dr.  Seaman  A.  Knapp Frontispice 

FACING  PAGE 

Cutting  Down  the  Expense  of  Making  a  Cotton  Crop 
by  Harrowing  Young  Cotton  Across  the  Rows      .       18 
(Courtesy  of  W.  F.  Haden) 

Breaking  Three  Acres  a  Day  with  Moldboard  Plow        19 
(Farm   Management,    U.    S.   Department  of  Agri- 
culture} 

A  Weeder  in  Use  for  Early  Cultivation     ....       19 
(W.  F.  Haden) 

The  Disc  Cultivator 34 

The  Modern  Way  — Ten  Acres  a  Day       ....       35 
(Farm  Demonstration  Work,  B.  P.  /.,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 

The  Way  to  Get  a  Deep  Seed  Bed 36 

(Farm  Demonstration  Work,  B.  P.  I.,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 

A  Terraced  Field 37 

(Farm   Management   U.   S.    Department   of  Agri- 
culture) 

Method  of  Making  Broad  Terrace 37 

(Farm  Management,  U.  5.  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture) 

ri 


Xll  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Cultivating  Cotton    with  a  Spring  Tooth  Cultivator      48 
(Farm  Demonstration  Work,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture) 

Cultivating  Cotton  with  a  Two-horse  Cultivator      .      .       48 
(Farm   Demonstration    Work,    U.    S.    Department 
of  Agriculture) 

Young  Cotton  Plants         49 

(Fiber  Investigations,  B.  P.  I.,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture) 

Cotton  Bolls 82 

(Fiber  Investigations,  B.  P.  I.,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture) 

Open  Bolls  of  Cotton 83 

(Fiber  Investigations,  B.  P.  L,  U.  5.  Department  of 
Agriculture) 

Varieties  of  Cotton:  Sea  Island,  Rio  Grande,  Upland 

Long-staple,  Upland 88 

(Fiber  Investigations,  B.  P.  /.,  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture) 

Varieties  of  Cotton:    Bill   Boll   Group,    King-like  or 
Early  Group,  Cluster  Group,  Semi-cluster  Group  .       89 
(Fiber  Investigations,  B.  P.  I.,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture) 

American  Upland  Cotton 92 

(Fiber  Investigations,  B.  P.  I.,  U,  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture) 

Cotton  Boll  with  Anthracnose 93 

(Office  of  Plant  Pathology,  B.  P.  /.,  U.  5.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 

Root-knot  on  Cotton  Plant 93 

(Office  of  Plant  Pathology,  B.  P.  L,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture) 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  Xlll 

FACING   PAGE 

Map  Showing  Spread  of  Cotton  Boll  Weevil  from  1892 

to  1912 97 

(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 

A  Young  Cotton  Plant  Dying  from  Wilt    ......       98 

(Office  of  Plant  Pathology,  B.  P.  L,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture) 

A  Typical  Plant  of  Dillon  Wilt-resistant  Cotton       .       99 
(Office  of  Plant  Pathology,  B.  P.  L,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 

A  Field  of  Upland  Cotton  in  South  Carolina  Destroyed 

by  Wilt 102 

(Office  of  Plant  Pathology,  B.  P.  /.,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 

Wilt-resistant  Dillon  Cotton  on  Adjoining  Land  Badly 
Infected  with  Wilt  .     ^     .      .      .      .      .      .'    .     .     102 

(Office  of  Plant  Pathology,  B.  P.  L,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 

Moths  of  Cotton  Boll-worm  .      .     .     .     ...     .     103 

(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 

Pupa  of  Boll-worm  in  Its  Underground  Burrow  .      .     103 
(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 

Stages  and  Work  of  the  Cotton  Worm  or  Cotton  Cater- 
pillar         .     .     .     .     104 

(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 

Cotton  Plant  Attacked  by  Boll  Weevil      ....     105 

Cotton  Boll-worm  on  Outside  and  Inside  of  Cotton  Boll     108 
(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 


XIV  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Partly  Opened  Cotton  Bolls  Showing  Effects  of  Boll- 
worm    Damage      108 

(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture} 

Injury  by  Boll  Weevil  to  Bolls        109 

(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 

Effects  of  Boll-weevil  Attack  on  Leaf  and  Squares  .     112 
(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture) 

Poisoning  Cotton  by  Pole  and  Bag  Method    .      .      .      .     113 
(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture} 

Poisoning  Cotton  by  Use  of  Spray  Pump        .      .      .     113 
(Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agri- 
culture} 

A  Farmer  Comparing  His  Cotton  with  the  Government 

Standard  Grades 128 

(W.  T.  Payne} 

Round  Bales  Showing  Method  of  Opening      .      .      .      .     128 
(Cotton  Marketing,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture) 

Gin-compressed  Bales  Ready  for  Shipment    .  128 

(Cotton  Marketing,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture} 

Gin-box,  Egyptian,  Gin-compressed  and  Recompressed 

Cotton  Bales 129 

(Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce  and  Labor} 

Transverse  Section  of  a  Cotton  Gin 136 

(Continental  Gin  Company) 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS  XV 

FACING  PAGE 

Section  from  a  Ginnery  Showing  Box  Press  and  Gin 

Stands        .'    .      . V-.  .     137 

(Continental  Gin  Company) 

Ordinary  Equipment  of  One-horse  Cotton  Farm        .      .      146 
(Farm  Management,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture] 

Ordinary  Equipment  of  Two-horse  Cotton  Farm       .      .      146 
(Farm  Management,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture) 

Up-to-date  Equipment  for  a  Cotton  Farm       .      .      .      147 
(Farm  Management,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture) 

Crimson  Clover  in  Central  Alabama 176 

Corn  and  Velvet  Beans 176 

A  Yield  of  Two  and  One  Half  Bales  Per  Acre    .      .     177 
(Farm  Demonstration  Work,  B.  P.  /.,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture) 


History  of  Cotton 


CHAPTER  I 

INTRODUCTION 
HISTORY   OF   COTTON 

COTTON  is  the  world's  greatest  fiber 
crop.  History  records  nothing  that 
compares  to  it  as  a  cash  crop.  The 
cotton  crop  is  extensively  grown  in  but 
twelve  of  the  Southern  States,  and  exceeds 
in  total  value  any  other  crop  in  the  United 
States,  except  corn,  which  is  produced  in  each 
of  the  forty-eight  states  of  the  Union.  The 
spinners  of  Europe  are  much  more  concerned 
about  the  size  of  the  American  cotton  crop 
each  fall  than  about  the  peace  of  nations.  The 
cotton  plant  furnishes  the  raw  material  for 
the  greatest  textile  industry  of  all  times.  The 
volume  of  the  export  trade  it  supports  is  enor- 
mous. 

Cotton  has  been  known  and  perhaps  used  as 
fiber  since  the  earliest  civilization.  The  im- 
portant part  it  was  to  play  in  the  economic 

3 


4        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

'adjustment  of  the  world's  products  and  finances 
was  not  realized  until  after  the  American 
Revolution.  Silk,  flax,  wool,  and  cotton  have 
always  been  the  staples  to  furnish  mankind 
with  clothing.  By  reason  of  the  cheapness 
of  production,  the  ease  of  manufacture,  and  the 
general  excellence  of  the  manufactured  goods 
for  wearing  apparel,  cotton  is  rapidly  taking 
place  of  the  other  three  materials. 

HISTORY 

The  original  home  of  the  cotton  plant  has  not 
been  definitely  established  by  historians,  but 
from  the  best  data  at  hand  was  probably  the 
East  Indies.  Hindoo  history,  4,000  years  old, 
speaks  of  a  fiber,  evidently  cotton,  and  leads  us 
to  believe  it  was  manufactured  into  fabrics  at 
this  early  period.  Cotton  has  been  known  in 
the  countries  of  southern  Europe  for  several 
centuries.  The  early  fragmentary  history  of 
various  countries  mention  some  plant  bearing 
a  wool-like  fiber,  which  was  undoubtedly  cotton. 
Some  species  of  cotton  have  been  found  growing 
wild  in  practically  all  countries  lying  between 
the  37th  degree  of  latitude  north  and  south 
of  the  equator  except  the  present  cotton  area 


HISTORY   OF    COTTON  5 

of  the  United  States.  Magellan  found  the 
Brazilians  using  cotton  for  beds  and  fabrics 
in  1519. 

The  first  record  of  its  being  grown  as  a  fiber 
in  the  United  States  was  in  1621,  and  then  only 
in  small  quantities.  Cotton  seed  was  brought 
from  the  Barbadoes  to  South  Carolina  in  1680. 
The  first  foreign  shipment  of  cotton  from  this 
country  was  from  Savannah  in  1747  —  only 
three  bags.  There  seems  to  have  been  so  little 
grown  that  no  authentic  record  of  the  crop  was 
kept'until  1791,  at  which  date  the  entire  Ameri- 
can crop  was  8,889  bales  weighing  225  pounds 
each.  The  lint  had  to  be  separated  from  the 
seed  by  hand,  which  was  a  tedious  and  difficult 
task. 

The  cotton  gin  was  invented  by  Ely  Whitney 
in  1793.  The  first  saw  gin  was  erected  in 
South  Carolina  in  1795,  and  from  this  dates 
the  beginning  of  an  industry  which,  for  rapidity 
and  volume  of  growth,  has  no  parallel  in  the 
world's  history. 

The  total  crop  of  the  United  States  in  1850 
was,  in  round  numbers,  2,500,000  bales.  In 
1860  it  reached  4,500,000  bales.  Then  the 
Civil  War  came  on  and  so  paralyzed  all  the 


6     KNAPP   METHOD    OF    GROWING    COTTON 

business  industries  of  the  South  that  it  took 
almost  two  decades  to  get  back  to  the  produc- 
tion of  1860.  Since  1880  the  increase  has  been 
continuous  and  rapid.  The  average  yearly 
production,  for  the  twenty-six  years  ending 
1904  was  7,500,000  bales.  The  average  for  the 
past  ten  years  has  been  12,300,000  bales.  The 
crop  of  1911  was  over  16,000,000  bales,  the 
largest  of  any  yet  grown.  The  highest  average 
prices  for  thirty  years  have  been  paid  for  the 
last  five  crops,  averaging  more  than  12,000,000 
bales  each.  The  cotton  mills  of  the  world  now 
handle  more  than  15,000,000  bales  of  cotton 
annually.  Even  with  this  enormous  supply, 
it  is  claimed  that  half  the  people  on  the  globe 
know  nothing  of  modern-made  cotton  goods. 
One  statistician  has  estimated  that  if  all  the 
people  in  the  world  used  as  much  cotton  goods 
as  the  civilized  nations,  it  would  take  more  than 
40,000,000  bales  to  supply  the  demand.  The 
progress  of  some  of  the  most  populous  countries 
toward  higher  standards  of  living  will  doubtless 
cause  the  demand  to  grow  faster  than  the 
supply  unless  there  is  some  readjustment  of 
labor  conditions  in  cotton-producing  countries. 
The  United  States  has  special  advantages 


HISTORY    OF    COTTON  ^ 

for  cotton  growing  that  perhaps  are  possessed 
by  no  other  country.  There  exists  a  peculiar 
combination  of  soil  and  climatic  conditions 
found  in  no  other  country,  even  where  situated 
in  the  same  degrees  of  latitude.  Not  all  the 
lands  lying  between  the  37th  degrees  'of  north 
and  south  latitude  will  produce  cotton  success- 
fully. Profitable  production  of  cotton  in  any 
country  is  largely  determined  by  conditions  of 
soil,  climate,  labor,  and  management. 

America  now  furnishes  about  75  per  cent, 
of  the  cotton  used  by  European  spinners. 
Egypt,  India,  and  Brazil,  in  the  order  named, 
supply  the  rest.  Several  other  countries 
grow  limited  amounts,  but  unless  better 
methods  are  used  and  a  more  rapid  progress 
made,  these  countries  will  hardly  produce  more 
than  enough  for  home  consumption.  The  only 
chance  of  an  early  increase  in  supply  for  Euro- 
pean spinners  must  come  from  Egypt,  and  under 
the  most  favorable  conditions  the  increase  from 
this  source  must  be  limited.  All  other  cotton 
countries  except  America  have  found  other 
crops  more  profitable,  and  it  is  hardly  probable 
that  they  will  change  to  cotton  merely  to  accom- 
modate the  spinner. 


8     KNAPP   METHOD    OF    GROWING   COTTON 

There  are  vast  possibilities  for  the  extension 
of  the  cotton  industry  in  the  Southern  States. 
In  the  strictly  cotton-producing  states  there  are 
303,000,000  acres  of  land.  Of  this  not  over 
100,000,000  have  been  put  into  cultivation. 
In  recent  years  28  to  36  million  acres,  or  about 
one  third,  have  been  planted  to  cotton.  This 
is  about  9  per  cent,  of  the  total  area  of  the 
cotton  states.  There  are  still  vast  areas  avail- 
able for  cotton  production. 

It  would  appear  from  the  above  figures  that 
the  quantity  that  could  be  produced  might  be 
greatly  increased  by  the  utilization  of  all  avail- 
able lands.  There  are,  however,  certain  im- 
portant factors  that  will  limit  production. 
The  problem  of  maintaining  soil  fertility;  the 
adjustment  of  the  labor  problem,  now  a  most 
serious  one;  and  the  increasing  population  with 
constantly  advancing  prices  for  other  farm 
products  will  have  a  tendency  to  limit  the 
acreage  devoted  to  cotton.  Again,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  cotton  is  one  of  the  most 
tedious  and  difficult  crops  to  grow  and  harvest. 
It  will  always  be  hard  to  get  those  accus- 
tomed to  growing  other  crops  less  troublesome 
to  adopt  cotton  farming.  This  will  be  the  case 


HISTORY   OF   COTTON  9 

so  long  as  present  high  prices  for  other  products 
exist.  The  present  practice  of  growing  cotton 
and  buying  from  the  proceeds  the  necessary 
supplies  to  run  the  farm  is  seldom  profitable. 
About  one  third  of  the  American  crop  is 
consumed  in  the  United  States,  the  remainder 
being  exported.  The  estimated  total  value  of 
the  last  two  crops,  including  seed,  is  #1,000,- 
000,000  each.  This  is  a  vast  sum  of  money 
and  should  the  Southern  farmers  make  up 
their  minds  to  grow  this  amount  of  cotton  and 
in  addition  all  the  food  supplies  for  man  and 
teams,  a  thing  that  could  easily  be  done,  it 
would  be  only  a  question  of  a  few  years  until 
the  cotton  farmers  of  the  United  States  would 
be  the  most  prosperous  and  independent  of 
all  men. 


Description  of  Cotton  Plant 


CHAPTER  II 

DESCRIPTION    OF   COTTON    PLANT 

f  •  ^HE  cotton  plant  belongs  to  what  is 
known  as  the  mallow  family.  The 

*•  okra,  hollyhock,  althea,  some  weeds 
and  trees  belong  to  the  same  family.  Cotton 
is  a  tropical  plant  and  is  found  growing  wild 
in  most  tropical  countries.  It  is  an  annual 
in  the  United  States;  but  after  warm  winters 
occasional  stalks  of  the  old  crop  start  new 
growth,  indicating  the  perennial  nature  of 
the  plant.  In  this  country  it  is  usually  a 
shrub-like  plant,  ranging  from  two  to  seven 
feet  in  height.  The  extent  of  growth  naturally 
depends  on  soil,  climatic  conditions,  variety, 
and  general  treatment. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  mallow  family  is  that  all 
plants  in  it  have  flowers  with  five  petals  with 
numerous  stamens  that  form  a  tube  about  the 
pistil.  There  are  usually  several  leaf-like  parts 
below  and  around  the  flower.  In  cotton  there 
13 


14   KNAPP   METHOD    OF   GROWING   COTTON 

are  three  of  these,  which,  with  the  inclosed  bud, 
form  what  is  termed  the  "square."  The  leaves 
are  alternate,  lobed,  with  veins  all  beginning  at 
a  common  point  near  the  base. 

The  genus  or  general  subdivision  of  the 
family  to  which  cotton  belongs  is  Gossypium. 
A  number  of  species  are  classed  under  this  sub- 
division, but  only  two  of  these  are  of  special 
interest  to  the  American  cotton  grower.  The 
first,  and  one  of  the  greatest  importance,  is 
Gossypium  Hirsutum,  which  includes  all  the 
upland  cottons  both  long  and  short  staples. 
The  second,  Gossypium  Barbadense,  includes 
all  the  Sea  Island  and  Egyptian  cottons.  As 
indicated  above,  American  upland  cotton 
may  be  divided  into  two  distinct  classes:  (i) 
short  staple,  and  (2)  long  staple  varieties. 
The  chief  distinction  between  the  two  is  in 
the  length  and  strength  of  staple.  The  short 
staple  ranges  from  three  fourths  to  one  and 
one  eighth  inches,  while  the  long  staple  ordi- 
narily runs  from  one  and  three  sixteenths  to  one 
and  five  eighths  inches  in  length.  There  are,  of 
course,  several  intermediate  classes.  The  buy- 
ing and  selling  prices  of  long  staple  cotton  are 
largely  determined  by  the  length  of  staple;  the 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COTTON    PLANT         15 

highest  price,   of  course,   being  paid   for  the 
longest. 

Cotton  seed  when  planted  germinate  quickly 
under  favorable  conditions.  The  first  stage  in 
the  growth  of  the  young  plant  is  the  formation 
of  a  stem  and  tap  root.  When  the  young  plant 
first  appears  above  ground  it  has  two  leaves. 
With  warm  weather,  plenty  of  plant  food,  and 
good  treatment  the  plant  develops  rapidly. 
The  plant  has  a  central  main  stem  from  which 
are  put  forth  limbs  or  branches.  This  stem  and 
the  branches  are  woody  in  nature  and  possess 
considerable  strength.  The  first  or  base  limbs 
are  the  largest  and  in  many  varieties  assume 
the  stalk-like  qualities  of  the  parent  stem. 
The  other  branches  decrease  in  length  and 
size  toward  the  top  of  the  plant.  When  fully 
developed  the  plant  usually  presents  a  very 
symmetrical  and  pleasing  appearance.  The 
main  stem  and  the  larger  base  limbs  produce 
only  leaves  and  smaller  sub-branches  on  which 
the  bolls  are  found.  One  peculiarity  of  the 
cotton  plant  is  that  two  limbs  start  from  the 
axil  of  each  leaf  on  the  main  stem.  One  con- 
tains the  bolls  and  the  other  is  barren;  fre- 
quently, however,  only  one  develops,  and 


l6    KNAPP   METHOD    OF    GROWING    COTTON 

fortunately  this  one  is  more  often  the  fruit- 
bearing  branch. 

The  varieties  or  plants  developing  fruit  limbs 
nearest  the  ground  having  short  joints  or 
nodes  are  found  to  reach  maturity  first;  the 
long-jointed,  straggling  plants  being  invariably 
late  in  maturing.  The  stalks  and  stems  are 
covered  with  a  rather  strong,  tough  bark, 
usually  of  a  brownish  color.  This  bark  contains 
a  coarse  fiber,  but  it  has  never  attained  any 
commercial  importance. 

Cotton  leaves  appear  alternately  on  the  stem 
and  may  vary  in  size  or  shape  in  the  same 
variety  and  even  sometimes  on  the  same  stalk. 
The  upland  cottons  usually  have  leaves  with 
three  lobes,  sometimes  more.  The  big  boll 
varieties  have  large  heavy  leaves  with  slight 
indentations  and  short  lobes.  The  very  small 
boll  varieties  have  small,  light  leaves  with 
deeper  indentations  and  sharp,  pointed  lobes. 
Sea  Island  and  Egyptian  cottons  have  very 
deep  indentations  and  slender  lobes.  There  are 
usually  three  or  more  prominent  veins  in  each 
leaf  starting  out  from  a  common  point  at  the 
leaf  stem.  The  leaves  and  small  stems  of 
upland  cottons  are  covered  with  short  hairs 


DESCRIPTION    OF    COTTON    PLANT         IJ 

which  are  not  found  on  the  Sea  Island  vari- 
eties. 

A  small  flower  stem  of  varying  length  appears 
along  the  larger  branches  to  support  the  bolls. 
The  square  is  the  first  stage  of  the  fruit.  It 
consists  of  three  bracts  or  leaves  with  the 
inclosed  flower  bud  and  appears,  on  an  average, 
twenty-one  days  before  the  bloom  opens.  The 
blooms  of  upland  cotton  are  cream  colored  the 
first  morning,  changing  to  pink  the  second  day, 
and  fall  to  the  ground  the  third  or  fourth  day. 
The  flowers  open  up  beautifully  early  in  the 
morning,  but  begin  to  close  and  change  color  in 
the  afternoon  of  the  first  day.  Blooms  of  other 
species  vary  in  size  and  color.  The  cotton  bloom 
is  self  fertile.  When  the  bloom  drops,  it  leaves  a 
small  pod  about  the  size  of  a  pea  which  develops, 
on  an  average,  in  from  forty-five  to  fifty  days 
into  the  full  grown  boll.  This  boll  is  similar  in 
size  and  shape  to  a  small  hen's  egg  and  contains 
the  lint  and  seed.  The  boll  of  upland  cottons 
has  four  to  five  divisions,  each  containing 
a  lock  consisting  of  seed  and  lint.  Each  lock 
has  from  six  to  twelve  seeds.  Sea  Island 
bolls  are  smaller  and  contain  three  or  four 
locks. 


1 8    KNAPP   METHOD    OF   GROWING   COTTON 

The  number  of  bolls  may  vary  from  a  very 
few  to  several  hundred  to  the  stalk.  The  num- 
ber depends  largely  on  the  variety,  soil,  moist- 
ure, and  climatic  conditions  while  growing. 
The  number  of  blooms  appearing  does  not 
signify  how  many  bolls  will  reach  maturity,  as 
insect  pests,  excessive  rains,  dry  weather,  or 
lack  of  fertility  may  cause  a  large  per  cent,  to 
shed.  An  average  of  thirty  to  fifty  mature 
bolls  to  the  stalk  over  a  field  with  a  good  stand 
should  give  a  yield  of  three  quarters  to  one  bale 
per  acre.  The  size  and  shape  of  the  boll  varies 
with  the  varieties,  class  of  soil,  and  weather 
conditions.  The  small  boll  cottons  require 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
bolls  to  make  a  pound  of  seed  cotton,  while  some 
of  the  large  boll  varieties  require  only  forty  to 
sixty  to  the  pound.  The  manner  of  opening  of 
bolls  differs  greatly  with  the  varieties;  some 
yield  their  locks  freely,  while  others  open  in 
such  a  way  as  to  cause  the  lock  to  adhere 
closely.  The  latter  kinds  are  preferred  in  a 
windy  country  or  where  the  harvesting  is  not 
done  promptly. 

The  seed  cotton  produces  about  two  thirds 
seed  and  one  third  lint  or  fiber  when  ginned. 


. 

.-V    :  A    -{' 


DESCRIPTION    OF   COTTON    PLANT  19 

Five  hundred  pounds  of  lint  is  a  bale.  A 
bushel  of  seed  weighs  thirty-two  pounds.  The 
seed  are  rich  in  oil  and  nitrogen,  and  are  usually 
worth  about  one  sixth  as  much  as  the  lint. 


Climate  and  Soils 


CHAPTER  III 

CLIMATE    AND    SOILS 

WHAT  is  commonly  known  as  the 
cotton  belt  of  the  United  States 
lies  below  latitude  37  degrees.  This 
embraces  the  larger  part  of  the  following 
states,  viz:  Arkansas,  Alabama,  Florida, 
Georgia,  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Oklahoma, 
North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Texas,  Ten- 
nessee, and  small  portions  of  Virginia  and 
Missouri.  The  climatic  conditions  of  this 
particular  region  are  perhaps  more  thoroughly 
adapted  to  the  successful  growing  of  the  culti- 
vated varieties  of  cotton  than  any  other  yet 
known.  The  summers  are  long  and  the  tem- 
perature relatively  high.  The  average  annual 
rainfall  is  between  forty  and  fifty  inches  over 
the  larger  part  of  the  cotton  territory.  Cotton 
being  naturally  a  tropical  plant,  it  does  best 
in  a  warm,  humid  climate;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  can  be  grown  profitably  under  semi-arid 
conditions.  To  reach  full  development,  the 

23 


24    KNAPP    METHOD    OF    GROWING    COTTON 

cotton  plant  must  be  grown  where  there  are  at 
least  six  months  warm  sunshine.  The  dates  of 
killing  frost  in  spring  and  fall  are  every  impor- 
tant with  the  cotton  grower.  While  the  picking 
sometimes  extends  into  the  winter  months,  a 
killing  frost  stops  all  growth  and  frequently 
spoils  considerable  quantities  of  immature  bolls. 
If  the  temperature  is  uniformly  high,  day  and 
night,  the  young  plant  develops  rapidly.  On 
the  other  hand,  should  there  be  cold  nights  or  a 
sudden  drop  in  the  temperature,  the  growth  of 
the  young  plant  is  seriously  checked  and  the 
stand  may  be  so  injured  that  replanting  is 
necessary.  The  extreme  sensitiveness  of  the 
cotton  plant  to  cold  makes  it  important  that 
planting  be  delayed  for  seasonable  weather. 
There  is  nothing  gained  by  planting  before  the 
ground  and  air  have  been  sufficiently  warmed 
to  insure  quick  germination;  besides,  there  is 
danger  of  losing  the  choicest  seed  if  planted  too 
soon.  With  warm  weather,  good  cultivation, 
and  a  normal  amount  of  moisture,  the  plant 
should  reach  maximum  stalk  growth  by  the 
first  of  August.  After  this  the  principal  busi- 
ness of  the  plant  should  be  to  develop  and 
mature  fruit. 


CLIMATE  AND  SOILS  25 

The  best  cotton  seasons  are  the  ones  during 
which  there  is  an  absence  of  abnormally  heavy 
rainfall,  but  where  showers  and  occasional  rains 
are  frequent  enough  to  supply  moisture  for  con- 
tinuous but  not  excessive  growth.  Such  sea- 
sons permit  the  plant  food  to  be  assimilated 
gradually,  and  also  causes  a  sufficient  setting 
of  early  fruit  to  insure  a  fair  yield.  These 
conditions  distribute  the  bolls  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  make  the  plant  more  symmetrical  and  give 
a  more  extended  opening  period,  resulting  in  a 
better  grade  of  lint,  especially  where  pickers  are 
limited  during  harvest  season.  A  cold,  wet 
spring  is  unfavorable,  interfering  with  prepara- 
tion, retarding  planting  operations,  and  early 
cultivation.  While  such  conditions  materially 
lessen  the  chances  for  a  good  yield,  the  cotton 
plant  is  so  adaptable  to  conditions  of  climate 
and  soil  that  fair  crops  have  been  made  when 
the  early  outlook  was  quite  gloomy.  Frequent 
heavy  rains  during  June,  July,  and  August, 
sometimes  occur  and  seriously  damage  the  crop. 
Such  seasons  interfere  with  proper  cultivation, 
promote  excessive  plant  growth  at  the  expense 
of  fruit,  and  encourage  the  multiplication  of 
insect  pests  and  fungous  diseases  that  prey  upon 


26        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

cotton.  The  territory  is  so  extensive,  however, 
that  there  is  wide  variation  in  the  weather  con- 
ditions. Some  sections  may  have  favorable 
conditions,  while  the  opposite  may  be  true  of 
others.  No  two  states  have  the  same  weather 
conditions,  and  often  in  the  same  state  there  is 
a  wide  variation.  There  is,  consequently,  little 
probability  of  having  an  ideal  season  over  all 
the  cotton  belt  the  same  year.  Under  the 
present  system  and  with  the  large  acreage 
planted,  it  is  doubtful  whether  an  ideal  season 
over  the  entire  cotton  area  would  be  best  for 
the  industry.  Under  the  most  favorable  con- 
ditions such  a  large  crop  might  be  grown  from 
the  present  acreage  that  the  price  would  per- 
haps be  reduced  below  the  cost  of  production. 
It  will  be  noted  by  taking  the  averages  for  ten, 
twenty,  and  thirty  years  that  the  cotton  crop 
will  show  a  more  uniform  yield  per  acre  than 
any  other  American  farm  crop. 

SOILS 

Cotton  may  be  planted  on  almost  any  well- 
drained  soil  in  the  cotton  region.  It  will  be 
found  growing  readily  on  all  kinds  of  soils 
from  the  stiff  clays  to  the  lightest  sands.  The 


CLIMATE  AND  SOILS  27 

vigor  of  growth  and  yields  vary  widely  on  diff- 
erent soils.  A  profitable  crop  can  be  produced 
on  almost  any  class  of  land,  provided  suitable 
plant  food  is  present  or  is  furnished  by  applica- 
tions of  fertilizers. 

The  system  of  cropping  practised  in  the 
cotton  states  has  so  reduced  the  fertility  of 
some  soils  that  crops  cannot  be  grown  on  them 
at  a  profit.  The  use  of  so  much  of  these  poor, 
depleted  lands  accounts  for  the  low  average 
yields.  Some  of  the  cotton  lands  are  naturally 
poor;  and  the  constant  cropping  to  cotton,  with- 
out returning  enough  vegetable  matter  to  retain 
fertility  and  protect  from  washing  has  made 
vast  areas  of  once  rich  soils  almost  worthless. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  are  some  extremely 
rich  bottom  lands  and  some  newly  cleared 
fields  not  in  bottoms  that  have  too  much  moist- 
ure and  plant  food  for  successful  cotton  raising. 
These  should  be  devoted  to  corn,  meadows  or 
pastures.  If  planted  to  cotton  the  plant  growth 
is  too  rank  and  the  fruit  will  often  be  scattering. 
There  is  also  an  additional  danger  of  serious 
damage  from  the  rotting  of  the  bolls,  insect 
depredations,  and  fungous  diseases  on  these 
rich  lands. 


28        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

The  most  satisfactory  of  all  lands  for  cotton, 
taking  it  through  a  long  series  of  years,  is  a 
medium  sandy  loam  with  a  clay  subsoil.  The 
nearest  approach  to  ideal  conditions  can  be 
maintained  on  such  soil  in  all  seasons.  The 
plant  growth  in  a  normal  year  will  neither 
be  too  rank  nor  too  small.  There  is  a  com- 
paratively small  percentage  of  typical  loam  soils 
now  in  cultivation.  Some  of  the  best  of  these 
have  been  cropped  with  cotton  so  continu- 
ously that  much  of  the  plant  food  has  been 
exhausted  and  leached  out. 

The  per  cent,  of  sand  or  clay  in  soils  has  an 
important  bearing  on  both  their  mechanical 
texture  and  production.  The  texture  of  the 
soil  means  more  to  the  average  farmer  than  its 
chemical  composition.  Long  experience  and 
practice  have  taught  him  to  determine  the  best 
cotton  lands  from  observing  the  native  growth 
and  the  texture  of  the  soil,  rather  than  from 
chemical  knowledge  of  its  contents.  The  tenant 
farmer  soon  learns  the  fields  that  are  best  suited 
to  the  crop,  and  this  accounts  largely  for  their 
continuous  cropping  in  cotton. 

About  50  per  cent,  of  all  space  in  soils  is 
occupied  by  air  and  water.  Sandy  soils  are 


CLIMATE  AND  SOILS  29 

composed  of  larger  particles  and  naturally  are 
less  retentive  of  water;  clay  soils  are  composed 
of  very  fine  particles  and  are  more  retentive  of 
moisture.  Under  very  dry  conditions  sandy  soils 
do  not  retain  moisture  sufficient  for  cotton; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  clay  soils  are  equally 
objectionable  during  wet  or  rainy  periods 
for  the  opposite  reason.  The  most  reliable 
cotton  lands  are  therefore  loams  and  sandy 
loams,  well  drained,  but  with  sufficient  clay  to 
make  them  retentive  enough  to  insure  a  uniform 
moisture  supply  during  the  growing  season. 
When  such  soils  have  had  proper  preparation 
and  the  early  rains  have  been  stored  and  re- 
tained by  later  shallow  and  frequent  cultiva- 
tion, the  yield  may  be  expected  to  turn  out 
satisfactorily  in  all  seasons. 

The  mechanical  condition  of  all  soils  are 
greatly  improved  by  keeping  them  well  supplied 
with  vegetable  matter. 


Cotton  Culture 


CHAPTER  IV 

COTTON    CULTURE 

PREPARATION  of  Seed  Bed.—  Where 
possible  to  do  so,  break  the  land  in  the 
early  fall  or  winter.  This  breaking  should 
be  done  on  most  soils  before  December  first. 

If  an  ordinary  turning  plow  is  used,  break 
one  or  two  inches  deeper  than  usual,  cutting 
a  narrow  furrow  slice  in  order  to  set  the  furrow 
on  edge  to  prevent  bringing  the  subsoil  to  the 
surface. 

The  disk  breaking  plow  is  especially  suited 
for  this  fall  breaking  as  it  brings  but  little  of 
the  subsoil  to  the  surface.  If  a  disk  plow  can 
be  secured,  use  it  and  go  down  as  deep  as 
possible. 

On  well-drained  lands  the  fall  breaking  may 
be  done  broadcast.  On  poorly  drained  lands 
it  is  better  to  throw  up  in  high  beds  or  ridges  in 
order  to  give  drainage  and  to  thoroughly  aerate 
the  soil  during  the  winter. 

33 


34        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

The  object  of  deep  fall  plowing  is  mainly  to 
increase  the  supply  of  available  plant  food  and 
the  storage  of  moisture  in  the  soil.  The  parti- 
cles of  the  soil  are  separated  by  this  tillage, 
allowing  frost  to  penetrate  deeper  and  the  air 
and  moisture  to  circulate  freely,  and  the  winter 
rains  are  stored  up  for  use  in  the  spring  and 
early  summer.  When  the  subsoil  is  first 
brought  to  the  surface  it  is  a  dead  inert  mass, 
and  the  soil  particles  must  be  acted  on  by  the 
oxygen  of  the  air,  the  frost,  and  the  rains  to 
make  plant  food  available.  Every  farmer  has 
observed  that  when  a  ditch  is  dug  and  dirt  is 
thrown  out  from  the  bottom  nothing  will  grow 
on  it  for  several  months.  The  second  year  the 
rankest  growth  is  found  on  this  soil.  An 
additional  advantage  of  fall  breaking  is  that 
it  destroys  some  injurious  insects,  which  pass 
the  winter  in  the  soil.  Deep  fall  plowing  is  of 
great  value  in  fields  long  in  cultivation  where 
the  plant  growth  is  medium  or  less.  On  very 
rich,  moist  soils  where  there  is  too  much  avail- 
able plant  food  for  cotton,  a  condition  that 
makes  an  excessive  growth  of  the  stalk  and  a 
consequent  decrease  in  fruitage,  it  is  best  not 
to  do  fall  breaking.  Such  lands  should  be 


COTTON  CULTURE  35 

broken  shallow  in  the  spring.  Deep,  light, 
sandy  soils  should  not  be  broken  in  the  fall 
unless  covered  with  a  heavy  crop  of  vegetation 
or  where  a  winter  cover  crop  is  to  be  planted 
to  utilize  available  plant  food  and  prevent 
leaching. 

Where  land  was  broken  deeply  in  the  fall, 
rebreak  in  the  spring  from  three  to  four  weeks 
before  time  to  plant,  and  throw  in  slight  beds 
or  ridges  the  desired  width  of  the  cotton  rows. 
This  will  give  sufficient  time  for  the  beds  to 
become  firm  before  planting.  This  spring 
rebreaking  or  bedding  can  be  very  rapidly  and 
satisfactorily  done  with  a  disk  cultivator  by 
adjusting  the  disks  so  as  to  throw  up  a  slight 
bed.  Just  before  planting,  freshen  and  thor- 
oughly pulverize  the  surface  of  the  beds  to  a 
depth  from  one  to  one  and  one  half  inches. 

The  cotton  plant  first  throws  out  its  feeding 
roots  in  the  moist,  warm,  surface  soil,  and  it  is 
best,  therefore,  immediately  before  planting, 
to  use  freely  the  section,  disk  or  some  other 
harrow.  Time  spent  in  making  a  good  seed 
bed  in  not  wasted.  Go  over  the  field  several 
times  with  the  harrow  if  necessary. 

Where  it  is  not  possible  to  break  the  land  in 


36        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

the  fall  or  early  winter,  break  broadcast  as  early 
in  February  or  March  as  soil  conditions  will 
permit,  as  deep  or  slightly  deeper  than  it  has 
been  previously  broken. 

It  is  seldom  advisable  to  turn  the  subsoil  in 
the  spring.  It  is  usually  too  full  of  water  and 
it  is  too  late  for  much  effective  action  of  the  air 
upon  the  soil  and  for  the  rains  to  firm  the  sub- 
soil before  planting. 

Even  where  the  land  is  not  plowed  until 
spring  it  is  found  profitable  to  rebed  before 
planting.  Freshen  and  thoroughly  pulverize 
the  surface  of  the  beds  immediately  before 
planting.  It  is  usually  better  to  plant  cotton 
on  a  firm  seed  bed.  If  the  land  cannot  be 
broken  or  bedded  in  the  spring  in  time  to  be- 
come firm  by  rains,  then  a  heavy  drag  or  roller 
should  be  run  over  the  loosely  plowed  land  to 
firm  it  before  planting.  A  poor  stand  often 
results  from  planting  cotton  on  a  loose  bed  on 
account  of  lack  of  sufficient  moisture  to  insure 
germination.  It  is  also  difficult  to  plant  seed 
the  proper  depth  on  a  loose  seed  bed. 

Whether  it  is  best  to  plant  cotton  flat  or  on 
beds  is  a  question  that  is  wholly  determined  by 
local  conditions.  On  level,  well-drained  lands 


.g 
3 
S 

o 

M-H 

DO 


JJ 

-2 


C£ 

o 

— 

r 


A  terraced  field 
Method  of  making  broad  terrace 


COTTON  CULTURE  37 

flat  planting  is  practicable,  and  it  will  be  easier 
to  cultivate  than  where  cotton  is  planted  on 
ridges.  Cotton  is  planted  on  beds  as  a  pre- 
caution against  heavy  rainfall  after  planting. 
Seeds  require  moisture  for  germination,  but 
must  be  kept  out  of  standing  water  in  the  soil. 
Where  conditions  are  such  that  cotton  can 
be  flat  planted,  it  may  also  be  planted  in  check 
rows  which  insures  easier  and  more  economical 
cultivation.  Even  where  cotton  is  planted  on 
beds  or  ridges  the  beds  should  be  dragged  down 
with  the  harrow  so  that  they  have  only  a  slight 
elevation  above  the  level  surface. 

In  semi-arid  sections  cotton  is  frequently 
planted  in  the  bottom  of  a  freshly  opened 
furrow  between  beds  in  order  to  get  the  seed 
into  moist  soil. 

Width  of  Rows.  --The  proper  spacing  of  the 
rows  for  cotton  is  important.  The  general  rule 
for  spacing  is  that  the  distance  between  the 
rows  shall  be  a  little  more  than  the  height  of  the 
plant  in  average  years.  Where  cotton  usually 
grows  two  or  three  feet  high,  the  rows  should 
be  from  three  and  one  half  to  four  feet  apart. 
Where  cotton  normally  grows  three  and  one 
half  feet  high,  plant  in  four  foot  rows.  Where 


38        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

it  grows  from  four  to  five  feet  high,  space  the 
rows  four  and  one  half  to  five  feet  apart.  It  is 
better  to  have  the  rows  a  little  too  wide  than 
too  narrow.  Air  and  sunlight  are  of  great  im- 
portance in  pushing  the  crop  to  maturity. 

Date  of  Planting.  —  Cotton  should  be  planted 
as  soon  in  the  spring  as  danger  from  frost  is 
past  and  the  soil  becomes  sufficiently  warm  to 
quickly  germinate  the  seed  and  insure  healthy 
and  vigorous  growth  of  the  plant.  The  best 
time  for  planting  cotton  along  the  Gulf  Coast 
is  probably  between  the  dates  of  March  25th 
and  April  25th.  In  the  central  part  of  the 
Gulf  States  planting  should  be  between  April 
loth  and  May  1st.  In  the  northern  part  of  the 
cotton  belt  planting  should  be  between  April 
2Oth  and  May  I5th.  The  largest  part  of  the 
cotton  crop  is  planted  before  the  first  of  May 
in  the  central  part  of  the  cotton  belt,  but  fre- 
quently fields  of  cotton  are  planted  as  late  as 
the  middle  or  last  of  May  and  produce  good 
crops.  On  the  rich  alluvial  lands  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  following  overflows,  cotton  some- 
times produces  a  fair  crop  even  when  planted 
late  in  June.  Extra  early  or  extra  late  plant- 
ing is  not  recommended.  Extremely  early 


COTTON  CULTURE  39 

planting  increases  the  labor  of  cultivation,  and 
the  young,  tender  plants  are  frequently  injured 
by  the  frost.  Very  late  planting  lessens  the 
labor  of  cultivation,  but  the  crop  is  liable  to  be 
cut  short  in  the  fall  by  early  frost,  which 
destroys  immature  bolls. 

Cotton  Planters.  —  Where  cotton  is  planted  on 
ridges  the  most  satisfactory  planter  to  use  is  the 
one-horse  walking  planter.  There  are  a  num- 
ber of  these  planters  on  the  market.  The 
principal  features  to  be  desired  in  a  planter  are: 
regular  and  uniform  distribution  of  the  seed, 
and  uniform  depth  of  planting.  Some  of  the 
planters  have  adjustments  for  dropping  the 
seed  in  hills  instead  of  in  continuous  drill. 
With  these  planters  it  is  often  necessary  to 
dampen  the  seed  and  roll  them  in  dust,  lime 
or  ashes  to  temporarily  paste  down  the  fuzz 
in  order  to  get  regular  distribution  of  the 
seed. 

Seed  planted  in  hills  require  less  work  with 
the  hoe  in  thinning  to  a  stand,  but  the  extra 
care  in  preserving  the  stand  about  offsets  any 
advantage  to  be  derived  by  planting  in  hills. 

Depth  of  [Planting.  —  Cotton  should  be 
planted  shallow,  not  over  one  inch  deep,  pro- 


40        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

vided  that  depth  reaches  moisture,  in  which 
case  plants  will  be  up  in  a  few  days. 

In  sections  of  light  rainfall  or  when  planting 
late  in  the  season,  it  will  be  necessary  to  plant 
deeper  than  one  inch.  More  stands  of  cotton 
are  lost  from  planting  too  deep  than  from 
planting  too  shallow. 

Amount  of  Seed  Per  Acre.  —  Where  seeds  are 
distributed  in  continuous  drill,  three  pecks  of 
good  seed  per  acre  is  ample.  A  stand  may  be 
secured  with  half  this  amount  of  seed  when 
planted  the  proper  depth  on  a  good  seed  bed, 
but  it  is  an  advantage  to  have  more  plants  on 
the  land  than  necessary,  so  that  if  a  few  of 
them  are  destroyed  in  the  first  cultivation  the 
stand  will  not  be  injured. 

First  Cultivation.  —  Begin  the  cultivation  as 
soon  as  the  seeds  are  planted  by  running  once 
or  twice  across  the  rows  with  a  section  harrow. 
When  cotton  is  up  to  a  stand,  run  diagonally 
across  the  rows  with  a  section  harrow  with  the 
teeth  slanted  backward  at  an  angle  of  forty-five 
degrees.  One  week  later  go  over  the  cotton 
again  with  the  section  harrow,  diagonally 
across  the  rows  in  the  opposite  direction.  This 
will  destroy  a  few  of  the  plants,  but  if  three 


COTTON  CULTURE  ^1 

pecks  of  good  seed  per  acre  have  been  planted, 
not  enough  plants  will  be  destroyed  to  injure 
the  stand.  The  weeder  is  better  for  this  early 
cultivation  than  the  harrow  on  very  loose  soil, 
and  should  always  be  used  instead  of  the  harrow 
on  sandy  soils. 

"Chopping"  or  Thinning.  —  This  early  culti- 
vation with  the  section  harrow  or  weeder  de- 
stroys young  grass  and  weeds  and  leaves  the 
cotton  in  fine  condition  for  "chopping"  or 
thinning.  The  common  practice  of  "barring 
off,"  leaving  the  plants  on  a  narrow  ridge  to 
save  labor  in  thinning,  is  unnecessary  if  the 
harrow  has  been  used  to  keep  the  rows  free  of 
weeds  and  grass.  If  it  should  be  found  neces- 
sary to  run  around  the  cotton  to  destroy  grass 
and  save  labor  with  the  hoe  in  thinning,  this 
work  can  be  done  more  satisfactorily  with  a  side 
harrow  than  with  the  turning  plow.  The 
turning  plow  should  never  be  used  in  cultivation 
unless  the  crop  has  become  so  foul  with  weeds 
and  grass  that  it  is  impossible  to  clean  it  with 
other  implements. 

Where  planting  was  rather  early  it  is  better 
to  thin  twice,  leaving  two  or  three  times  the 
number  of  plants  needed  at  the  first  thinning, 


42        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

and  about  three  weeks  later  thin  to  a  stand. 
Where  planting  is  done  toward  the  latter  part 
of  the  planting  season  it  is  advisable  to  bring 
to  stand  at  first  thinning. 

The  distance  apart  of  plants  in  the  drill  will 
depend  upon  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  On 
medium  soils  where  plants  grow  about  three 
feet  tall,  leave  plants  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
inches  apart  in  the  drill.  Where  cotton  nor- 
mally grows  four  to  four  and  one  half  feet  tall 
thin  from  twenty  to  twenty-four  inches  in  the 
drill. 

Later  Cultivation.  —  The  first  cultivation  after 
using  the  section  harrow  or  weeder,  may  be 
given  with  some  form  of  cultivator.  Among 
the  implements  used  for  this  cultivation  and 
with  which  satisfactory  results  are  obtained 
are  the  following:  the  fourteen-inch  heel  sweep 
and  short  bull-tongue  point  on  one-horse 
Georgia  stock;  one-horse  spring- tooth  culti- 
vator; five  shovel,  one  horse  cultivator;  and 
the  sulky  cultivator  with  short,  narrow,  dia- 
mond point  shovel  attachments,  or  with  spring- 
tooth  attachments.  If  the  land  has  become 
hard  and  compact  from  rains  since  plant- 
ing, the  first  cultivations  may  be  rather  deep. 


COTTON  CULTURE       „•-•  43 

This  will  not  be  likely  to  occur,  however,  if 
the  section  harrow  has  been  run  as  often 
as  recommended.  All  later  cultivation  should 
be  shallow.  During  periods  of  excessive  rains 
it  may  be  necessary  to  cultivate  deeper  to 
clear  the  crop  of  weeds  and  grass,  but  after 
this  is  done  continue  the  shallow  cultivations 
as  before.  If  the  land  is  clear  of  stumps  the 
cultivation  can  be  done  more  economically 
with  a  two-horse  cultivator  that  will  cultivate 
the  entire  row  at  one  trip.  Any  form  of  attach- 
ment may  be  used  on  the  sulky  cultivator  which 
will  give  a  loose  dust  mulch  about  one  to  two 
inches  deep.  If  from  any  cause  it  is  not  practi- 
cable to  use  the  sulky  cultivator,  excellent  work 
can  be  done  with  a  one-horse  cultivator  or  with 
a  one-horse  Georgia  stock,  with  broad  narrow- 
winged  sweep  (heel  sweep)  if  the  dirt  is  allowed 
to  fall  loosely  over  it.  Care  should  be  exercised 
in  cultivating  cotton  not  to  allow  the  cultivator 
to  go  deep  enough  to  break  the  feeding  roots 
of  the  plant.  On  very  rich,  moist  soils,  where 
cotton  has  a  tendency  to  grow  an  excessive 
stalk  with  consequent  decrease  in  fruitage, 
it  is  often  helpful  to  cultivate  deeper  than  above 
recommended  in  order  to  check  the  growth  of 


44       KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

the  plant  and  encourage  fruiting.  Usually 
this  should  be  done  early  in  the  season  and  dis- 
continued when  plants  begin  to  set  fruit  freely. 
Cultivating  every  seven  to  ten  days,  weather  and 
soil  conditions  permitting,  will  be  best.  This 
will  allow,  on  an  average,  seven  to  nine  culti- 
vations. The  general  practice  is  to  stop  culti- 
vation too  early.  In  most  sections  it  will  pay 
to  continue  cultivation  until  the  crop  is  prac- 
tically matured. 


Fertilizers  for  Cotton 


CHAPTER  V 

FERTILIZERS   FOR   COTTON 

COMMERCIAL  fertilizers  were  not  used 
for  cotton  until  about  1860.  At  this 
early  date  wonderful  results  were  at- 
tributed to  their  use  in  increasing  the  crops. 
For  several  years  the  increase  in  the  use  of 
them  was  followed  with  good  results,  but 
after  a  time  the  idea  began  to  spread  that 
the  stimulating  effect  gave  out  and  the  soils 
really  became  poorer.  The  truth  of  the  mat- 
ter was  that  with  their  continued  use  and  with 
the  clean  cultivation,  all  the  vegetable  matter 
and  humus  became  exhausted.  A  natural 
consequence  was  poor  land  and  decreased 
yields.  The  alluvial  bottoms  along  the  streams 
and  some  of  the  rich  uplands  will  produce 
profitable  cotton  crops  without  the  aid  of 
manures  of  any  kind. 

Commercial    fertilizers,    when    wisely   used, 
have   been    profitable    to  the  cotton  grower, 

47 


48        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

but  an  extravagant  and  often  unintelligent  use 
has  been  too  common. 

The  one-crop  system  of  the  cotton  states 
has  been  followed  until  much  of  the  best  lands 
have  become  unprofitable  without  the  use  of 
artificial  plant  food.  There  are  vast  areas 
where  the  natural  fertility  is  too  low  to  produce 
paying  yields  without  the  application  of  fertil- 
izer. These  facts,  with  the  demand  for  a  quick 
cash  crop,  the  prevalence  of  the  credit  system, 
the  indifferent  nature  of  the  negro  laborer,  and 
the  necessity  for  hastening  maturity  to  avoid 
insect  pests  has  led  up  to  a  general  use  of  com- 
mercial fertilizers  in  recent  years.  A  sort  of 
fertilizer  craze  has  swept  over  the  Atlantic  and 
Gulf  States,  only  that  portion  of  the  cotton 
region  west  of  the  Mississippi  escaping.  The 
farmers  have  bought  it  and  used  it  extrava- 
gantly and  unwisely,  thereby  bringing  upon 
themselves  and  their  states  a  fertilizer  debt, 
much  of  which  is  an  unnecessary  drain  upon  the 
resources. 

The  following  figures  show  the  value  of 
commercial  fertilizers  consumed  in  cotton 
states  in  1910  based  on  inspection  and  tax 
laws  as  reported  by  state  officials :  North  Caro- 


Cultivating  cotton  with  a  spring-tooth  cultivator 
Cultivating  cotton  with  a  two-horse  cultivator 


Young  cotton  plants 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  49 

lina,  $14,368,100;  South  Carolina,  $20,104,305; 
Georgia,  $22,719,760;  Florida,  $3,523>39°5  Ala" 
bama,  $8,200,000;  Mississippi,  $4,055,540;  Ten- 
nessee, $1,172, 240;  Louisiana,  $1,820,200;  Texas, 
$860,000. 

The  above  figures  represent  the  value  of 
commercial  fertilizers  and  cotton  seed  meal 
used.  No  report  was  given  of  the  amount  of 
cottonseed  meal  used  in  Alabama,  Tennessee, 
Louisiana,  and  Texas.  The  above  table  does 
not  take  into  account  a  large  amount  of  cotton 
seed  and  other  fertilizing  materials  of  which  no 
official  record  was  kept.  While  all  of  this 
fertilizer  was  not  used  for  cotton,  it  was  paid  for 
out  of  the  proceeds  of  the  cotton  crop. 

Until  recent  fertilizer  laws  were  passed  in  the 
states  requiring  a  guaranteed  analysis  to  be 
stamped  on  the  package,  unscrupulous  manu- 
facturers and  dealers  sold  much  cheap,  inferior 
goods  to  the  farmers  at  high  prices.  The  law 
does  not  prevent  making  cheap  grade  fertilizer, 
but  it  must  be  branded  so  that  the  purchaser 
will  know  just  what  he  is  buying.  The  average 
farmer  wants  a  cheap  grade  article  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  the  plant  food  in  a  high 
grade  is  cheaper  and  more  satisfactory.  It  is 


SO        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

a  matter  of  record  that  in  the  early  days  of 
commercial  fertilizer  the  foulest  smelling  and 
the  most  repulsive  looking  brand  was  considered 
most  effective.  This  idea  no  longer  prevails 
among  intelligent  farmers.  The  first  thing 
they  look  for  is  the  tag  showing  available 
elements  in  each  package.  But  the  mass  of 
farmers  have  not  been  sufficiently  educated 
along  this  line.  They  still  buy  on  credit  and 
consequently  take  what  the  dealer  offers,  re- 
gardless of  price  or  grade.  We  hope  this  book 
will  be  of  value  in  aiding  purchasers  to  buy  and 
use  fertilizers  with  more  intelligence  and  profit 
in  the  future. 

The  chief  object  in  the  use  of  any  fertilizer  is, 
of  course,  increased  yield,  and  to  bring  this 
about  it  must  supply  available  plant  food,  or 
make  available  some  of  that  already  tied  up 
in  the  soil.  Usually  artificial  fertilizers  per- 
form both  of  these  offices. 

Most  soils  contain  all  the  elements  that  enter 
into  the  plant  growth  except  three  —  nitrogen, 
phosphoric  acid,  and  potash.  There  is  enough 
potash  found  in  the  soils  in  nearly  all  the  South- 
ern States.  This  is  especially  true  on  the  red 
clays  if  a  proper  rotation  is  followed. 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  5! 

Commercial  fertilizers  cannot  be  bought  in 
a  pure  state,  but  in  combination  with  other 
substances  which  are  of  no  value  except  to 
increase  the  bulk  and  make  it  easier  to  dis- 
tribute. The  farmer  should,  by  all  means, 
know  that  the  value  of  a  fertilizer  depends 
not  on  gross  weight,  but  on  the  amount  of 
available  plant  food  contained.  No  fertilizer 
should  be  purchased  that  does  not  have  the 
guaranteed  analysis  printed  on  the  package. 
The  composition  is  given  in  percentages,  and 
in  each  hundred  pounds  there  should  be  so  many 
pounds  of  the  particular  element  mentioned. 

For  example,  a  fertilizer  is  offered  for  sale 
branded  as  follows: 

Nitrogen     .           2  per  cent. 

Water-soluble  phosphoric  acid  ....  8  per  cent. 

Citrate-soluble  phosphoric  acid       ...  2  per  cent. 

Total  available  phosphoric  acid  10  per  cent. 

Potash  .            2  per  cent. 

Translated  into  terms  of  pounds  this  means 
that  in  a  sack  weighing  100  pounds  there  are: 

2  pounds  of  nitrogen. 

8  pounds  of  water-soluble  phosphoric  acid. 
2  pounds  of  citrate-soluble  phosphoric  acid 
10  pounds  of  available  phosphoric  acid. 
2  pounds  of  potash. 


52        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

This  gives  a  total  of  14  pounds  of  plant  food 
in  a  loo-pound  sack.  When  a  ton  of  such  fertili- 
zer is  bought,  the  purchaser  receives  nitrogen, 
40  pounds;  water-soluble  phosphoric  acid,  160 
pounds;  citrate-soluble  phosphoric  acid,  40 
pounds;  potash  40  pounds.  Notice  that  what 
is  called  "available"  is  the  sum  of  the  water-sol- 
uble and  the  citrate-soluble  phosphoric  acid.  In 
this  fertilizer  we  get  three  things  that  are  of  use 
—  2  pounds  of  nitrogen,  10  pounds  of  phosphoric 
acid,  and  2  pounds  of  potash  to  the  100  pounds. 

If  cotton  seed  meal,  acid  phosphate,  and  kainit 
are  used  to  make  this  fertilizer,  it  will  require  the 
following  quantities  for  one  ton  of  the  mixture: 

TABLE  I. —  PROPORTIONS  AND  VALUE  OF  COTTON  SEED  MEAL, 

ACID   PHOSPHATE,   AND  KAINIT  REQUIRED    FOR   A   TON    OF 
FERTILIZER   OF  A    2-IO-2   COMPOSITION 


FERTILIZING   MATERIAL 

POUNDS 

VALUE 

Cotton  seed  meal  (6.4  per  cent.  Ni- 

trogen)       

625 

$  8.00* 

Acid  phosphate  (16  per  cent,  avail- 

able)     

1,140 

IO.OO 

Kainit  (12.5  per  cent,  potash) 

235 

2.00 

Total           .            .      . 

2,OOO 

$20  oo 

*The  value  of  fertilizing  materials  is  calculated  on  the  basis  of 
20  cents  a  pound  for  nitrogen  and  5  cents  a  pound  each  for  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash. 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  53 

The  figures  quoted  express  the  actual  cost 
of  the  materials,  so  by  the  time  such  a  fertilizer 
reaches  the  farmer  it  will  cost  him  nearer  £25 
per  ton.  The  difference  between  the  value  of 
materials  and  the  price  the  farmer  pays  repre- 
sents the  cost  of  mixing,  and  bagging,  and  the 
profits. 

It  will  be  found  that  all  materials  used 
in  mixing  fertilizers  vary  in  the  amount 
of  plant  food  contained  in  them.  Taking 
acid  phosphate  for  example,  we  find  some 
running  as  low  as  10  pounds  of  available 
phosphoric  acid  per  100  pounds,  while  the 
best  grade  runs  as  high  as  16  pounds  or 
more  per  100  pounds.  On  this  basis,  val- 
uing phosphoric  acid  at  5  cents  per  pound, 
the  first  would  cost  50  cents,  whereas  the 
latter  would  cost  80  cents.  Even  greater 
differences  will  be  found  in  the  grades  of  cot- 
tonseed meal. 

Samples  of  cotton  seed  meal  can  now  be  found 
ranging  from  3.5  per  cent,  to  7  per  cent,  of 
nitrogen.  Basing  the  values  on  the  nitrogen 
contained,  Table  II  shows  the  relative  values 
of  cotton  seed  meal  of  the  different  grades.  It 
is  assumed  that  cotton  seed  meal  containing 


54       KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

6.5  per  cent,  of  nitrogen  can  be  bought  for 
$28  per  ton. 

TABLE  II.  —  VALUES  PER  TON  OF  COTTON  SEED  MEAL  OF 

DIFFERENT   GRADES 


PER 

PER 

PER 

PER 

CENT 

CENT 

CENT 

CENT 

OF 

VALUE 

OF 

VALUE 

OF 

VALUE 

OF 

VALUE 

NITRO- 

NITRO- 

NITRO- 

NITRO- 

GEN 

GEN 

GEN 

GEN 

6.5 

#28.00 

6-3 

?*7-I3 

6.0 

£25.84 

5-1 

#21.97 

6.4 

27.67 

6.2 

26.71 

5-6 

24.12 

3-5 

I5-07 

The  average  sample  of  cotton  seed  meal  con- 
tains approximately  the  following  percentages 
of  plant  food. 

Nitrogen 6.4  per  cent. 

Phosphoric  Acid 2.7  per  cent. 

Potash 1.8  per  cent. 

A  loo-pound  sack  will  therefore  contain  the 
following  quantities  of  plant  food. 


Nitrogen 
Phosphoric  acid 
Potash 


6.4  pounds 

2-7       " 
1.8       " 


The  results  following  the  use  of  cottonseed 
meal  indicate  that  decomposition  makes  the 
phosphoric  acid  in  the  meal  available.  In 
buying  materials  for  mixing  fertilizers  it  is 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  5$ 

always  economy  to  use  only  high-grade  goods, 
even  though  they  cost  a  little  more. 

How  to  Use  Commercial  Fertilizers.  —  If  fer- 
tilizers are  used,  the  following  general  rule 
should  govern:  On  rich  lands  use  mainly  fer- 
tilizers that  will  stimulate  the  fruit  and  not 
stalk  growth.  On  lighter  lands  use  more  of  the 
elements  to  force  growth,  combined  with  others 
which  will  mature  the  fruit.  High-grade  acid 
phosphate  may  be  considered  a  basis  for  in- 
creasing the  fruit  and  hastening  the  maturity 
of  crops.  Even  on  the  richest  land  it  has  been 
demonstrated  that  a  small  percentage  of  ni- 
trogen added  to  the  acid  phosphate  gives  better 
results. 

Nitrogen.  —  The  chief  function  of  nitrogen 
is  to  promote  plant  growth,  but  it  is  also  of  very 
great  importance  in  the  production  of  fruit. 
Nitrogen  enters  largely  into  the  composition  of 
plants,  and  it  follows  that  everything  of  vege- 
table origin  is  a  valuable  source  of  this  sub- 
stance. When  vegetable  matter  is  burned  the 
nitrogen  is  released  from  its  combination, 
escapes  into  the  atmosphere,  and  is  lost. 
Hence,  it  is  bad  practice  to  burn  off  fields  and 
destroy  vegetable  matter;  it  is  better  to  turn  it 


56        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

under.  The  humus  in  vegetable  matter  has  a 
value  in  soil  renovation  frequently  greater 
than  its  value  as  a  plant  food.  The  most 
important  sources  of  nitrogen  used  in  com- 
mercial fertilizers  are  as  follows: 

TABLE  III. —  NITROGEN  CONTENT  OF  IMPORTANT  FERTIL- 
IZER MATERIALS 


SOURCE  OF  NITROGEN 

PER  CENT 

SOURCE  OF  NITROGEN 

PER  CENT 

Cotton  seed  meal 
Dried  blood 

Tankage 

6  to    7 
.12  to  14 

.    Q  to  12 

Fish  scrap   . 
Sulphate  of  am- 
monia 
Nitrate  of  soda 

.   7  to    8 

.18  to  20 
.14  to  16 

Phosphoric  Acid.  —  Next  in  importance  as  a 
plant  food  is  phosphoric  acid.  It  is  largely 
required  by  the  plant  for  growth,  but  it  is 
absolutely  essential  in  promoting  fruitage  and 
is  a  great  factor  in  hastening  the  maturity  of 
the  crops.  The  principal  commercial  sources 
of  phosphoric  acid  are  as  follows : 

Table   IV.  —  PHOSPHORIC  ACID   CONTENT  OF  IMPORTANT 

FERTILIZER   MATERIALS 


SOURC  EOF  PHOSPHORIC  ACID     PER  CENT 

SOURCE  OF  PHOSPHORIC  ACID 

PER  CENT 

Rock  phosphate: 
Dissolved      .      .I2toi6 
Ground   .      .      .  24  to  3  2 
Thomas  slag     .      .  15  to  20 

Bone  meal: 
Dissolved 
Ground    . 

15  to  17 

20  tO  22 

FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  57 

Potash.  —  Potash  is  more  directly  effective 
in  developing  the  fruit  and  adds  to  the  vigor  of 
the  plant.  It  is  seldom  deficient  in  soils  and 
especially  in  the  soils  of  the  Gulf  States.  It  is 
obtained  from  the  following  sources : 

TABLE   V. —  POTASH  CONTENT  OF  IMPORTANT  FERTILIZER 

MATERIALS 
SOURCE  01  POTASH  PER  CENT  I    SOURCE  OF  POTASH  PER  CENT 

Kainit    .      .      .        .        12.5    Sulphate  of  potash  53 

Muriate  of  potash    .       50.0    Wood  ashes      .      .   5  to  20 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  fertilizing 
content  of  all  the  above-named  materials  are 
not  readily  available  for  the  use  of  the  plant. 
The  amounts  available  should  always  deter- 
mine the  value  of  the  material.  An  example  to 
illustrate  may  be  found  in  acid  phosphate. 
The  total  content  of  the  ground  rock  is  twice 
that  of  dissolved  rock,  but  such  a  large  per  cent, 
of  the  ground  rock  is  unavailable  that  it  might 
be  cheaper  to  buy  the  dissolved  rock  at  twice 
the  price  per  ton.  The  same  principle  applies 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree  to  all  the  other 
materials  used  in  making  commercial  fertilizers. 

What  Fertilizer  to  Buy.  —  Since  the  elements 
of  plant  food  already  mentioned  are  required  in 


58        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

different  quantities  and  since  the  soils  vary  in 
their  supply,  it  is  well  for  the  farmer  to  know 
what  his  soil  and  plants  need  before  investing 
his  money  in  fertilizers.  The  practical  way  for 
the  farmer  to  determine  these  facts  is  to  observe 
the  growth  of  the  plants  on  his  land.  If  the 
plants  grow  rapidly  and  make  an  abundance  of 
leaf  and  stalk  it  is  evidence  of  a  good  supply 
of  nitrogen.  If  there  is  not  a  proportionate 
amount  of  fruit  it  is  a  sure  indication  that  the 
soil  needs  phosphoric  acid.  On  the  other  hand, 
if  the  plant  does  not  have  a  good  color  and  tends 
to  drop  its  fruit  before  it  reaches  a  fair  size  it 
indicates  that  the  soil  requires  potash. 

Most  of  the  soils  in  the  South  are  deficient 
in  both  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid,  and 
some  in  potash,  so  when  commercial  fertilizers 
are  bought  their  value  depends  upon  their 
content  of  these  substances.  If  the  farmer  has 
saved  all  manures  and  has  grown  cowpeas  or 
other  legumes  abundantly,  he  will  rarely  have 
to  buy  nitrogen. 

For  rich  soils,  or  soils  where  a  heavy  crop  of 
peas,  beans,  or  clover  was  grown  the  previous 
year,  use  one  part  of  cotton  seed  meal  and  three 
parts  of  acid  phosphate  for  cotton.  For  me- 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  59 

dium  soils  use  one  part  of  cotton  seed  meal  and 
two  parts  of  acid  phosphate.  On  thin  soils  use 
one  part  of  cotton  seed  meal  and  one  part  of 
acid  phosphate.  These  proportions  are  for 
soils  rich  in  potash,  but  deficient  in  nitrogen 
and  phosphoric  acid.  Experiments  have  shown 
that  most  of  the  clay  soils  in  the  cotton  states 
do  not  need  potash  for  growing  field  crops. 
On  soils  showing  a  need  of  it  potash  should  be 
added.  On  some  soils  experiments  have  shown 
that  neither  acid  phosphate  nor  potash  is 
needed;  examples  of  such  soils  are  found  in  the 
black  waxy  lands  of  west  Alabama,  east  Mis- 
sissippi, and  Texas,  and  the  stiff  alluvial  lands 
of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

On  these  soils  nitrogen  and  humus  seem  to  be 
all  that  is  needed.  Deep  sandy  lands  such  as 
are  found  in  Florida  and  along  the  coastal 
plains  are  in  many  cases  deficient  in  potash,  as 
well  as  in  phosphoric  acid  and  nitrogen.  On 
such  soils  a  complete  fertilizer  or  one  containing 
nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid,  and  potash  should 
be  used. 

Amount  of  Fertilizer  to  Use  Per  Acre.  —  No 
definite  instructions  in  regard  to  the  use  of 
fertilizers  can  be  given  to  fit  all  conditions  and 


6O       KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 


soils.  This  question  must  be  settled  by  tests 
on  individual  farms.  The  following  formula 
will  serve  as  a  guide  in  mixing  fertilizers  to  be 
used  under  the  conditions  mentioned : 

TABLE  VI. — PROPORTIONS  OF  FERTILIZER  FOR  COTTON 

POUNDS  OF  FERTILIZER  PER  ACRE 


Fertilizer  to  be  used. 

On  sandy  loam  or  clay  soils  when 

On  deep  sandy 
soil    of     me- 
dium grade. 

Poor 

Medium 

Rich 

Cotton  seed  meal 
Acid  phosphate 
Kainit 

150 

ISO 

IOO 
200 

75 

225 

ISO 
ISO 
ISO 

Where  it  is  found  that  potash  is  needed  on 
clay  lands,  one  hundred  pounds  of  kainit  or  its 
equivalent  in  muriate  or  sulphate  of  potash 
may  be  added. 

Where  the  land  has  grown  a  heavy  crop  of 
peas  or  beans  the  year  before,  half  the  amount 
of  cotton  seed  meal  may  be  used. 

On  the  black  waxy  lands  of  Alabama  and 
Mississippi  and  the  stiff  alluvial  lands  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  that  have  been  planted  to 
cotton  for  a  long  period  of  years  and  have  be- 
come deficient  in  vegetable  matter,  200  to  300 
pounds  of  cotton  seed  meal  or  100 pounds  nitrate 
of  soda  per  acre  have  given  profitable  returns. 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  6l 

The  amount  of  fertilizer  to  use  depends  on 
several  factors.  The  cost  of  the  material  used 
in  the  fertilizer,  the  value  of  the  land,  the  need 
and  condition  of  the  soil,  and  the  money  value 
of  the  crops  to  be  grown  must  each  be  considered. 
The  greater  the  money  value  the  crop  represents 
the  larger  the  quantity  of  fertilizer  that  can 
be  used  with  profit.  Large  applications  of 
fertilizer  never  pay  on  thin,  poorly  prepared 
soils.  The  amount  of  fertilizer  to  use  is  a 
question  of  economics  as  well  as  of  crop  culture. 
With  12-cent  cotton  the  farmer  can  realize 
large  returns  from  600  to  800  pounds  per  acre 
on  soils  in  good  condition. 

Different  Forms  of  Fertilizing  Materials.  — 
Elsewhere  we  have  suggested  some  of  the  most 
common  sources  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid, 
and  potash.  In  the  formula  given  acid  phos- 
phate and  cotton  seed  meal  have  been  used. 
They  are  the  most  commonly  known  and  more 
generally  used.  If  for  any  good  reason  it  is 
desirable  to  substitute  other  materials  in  the 
mixture,  it  can  be  readily  done.  Simply  sub- 
stitute in  proper  porportions.  Ordinarily 
nitrate  of  soda  should  not  be  used  in  making 
mixed  fertilizers.  It  is  better  to  use  it  as  a  top- 


62        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

dressing  for  growing  crops.  Where  nitrate  of 
soda  is  used  for  cotton,  apply  it  about  the  time 
the  plant  begins  to  fruit.  If  more  than  100 
pounds  per  acre  is  used  make  two  applications 
fifteen  days  apart. 

Methods  of  Mixing.  —  The  mixing  of  fertili- 
zers on  the  farm  can  be  done  very  satisfactorily 
by  emptying  the  raw  materials  on  a  tight  floor 
of  wood  or  concrete;  or  if  more  convenient 
it  may  be  done  on  a  hard,  dirt  floor  under  a  shed 
or  outhouse. 

It  is  better  not  to  empty  over  400  to  600 
pounds  at  one  time,  as  it  can  be  more  readily 
and  thoroughly  mixed  in  small  quantities.  The 
mixing  can  be  done  with  hoes  and  shovels  by 
turning  over  two  or  three  times  and  continu- 
ing this  process  until  the  desired  quantity  is 
ready  for  use.  This  method  of  home  mixing 
is  very  desirable  where  the  farmer  wishes  to 
leave  out  any  element  or  in  any  way  change 
the  proportion  to  better  suit  special  conditions. 

How  to  Apply  Commercial  Fertilizers.  — 
Before  applying  commercial  fertilizers  prepare 
the  soil  thoroughly.  Where  500  pounds  of 
fertilizer  or  less  is  used  for  cotton  put  it  all  out 
in  one  application  in  the  furrow  about  ten  days 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  63 

before  planting  and  mix  well  with  the  soil.  On 
deep  sandy  soils  it  may  be  best  to  make  two 
applications;  one  half  at  planting  and  remainder 
at  second  cultivation.  Where  600  or  more 
pounds  per  acre  are  used  two  applications 
may  be  made,  one  half  in  the  furrow  before 
planting  and  the  remainder  as  side  applications 
at  the  second  working  of  the  crop.  When 
using  1,000  pounds  or  more,  make  two  or  more 
applications  or  broadcast  the  entire  amount 
before  planting. 

The  depth  to  which  the  commercial  fertilizer 
is  applied  is  important.  Experiments  have 
shown  that  about  three  inches  is  the  proper 
depth  in  all  except  semi-arid  regions,  where  it 
should  be  put  deeper.  It  has  been  a  common 
practice  among  farmers  to  apply  fertilizers  too 
deep. 

The  following  facts  regarding  fertilizers 
should  be  kept  in  mind  by  the  cotton  farmer: 

1.  Never    allow    the    waste    of    barnyard 
manure. 

2.  All    waste    and    by-products    from    the 
farm  should  be  returned  to  the  land. 

3.  Rotation  of  crops  is  essential  for  per- 
manent soil  building.     Legumes  and  green  crops 


64        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

should  be  grown  liberally  and  turned  under 
to  furnish  humus,  and  keep  the  soil  in  good 
mechanical  condition. 

4.  The  greatest  benefit  to  be  derived  from 
commercial  fertilizers   is   in  combination  with 
farm  manures  and  green  crops  turned  under. 
A  much  more  liberal  application  can  be  made 
profitable  under  these  conditions. 

5.  A    general    and    rather    liberal    use    of 
commercial    fertilizer    can    be    recommended 
if  intelligence  and  good  judgment  is  displayed. 

6.  Excessive  and  reckless  use  of  commercial 
fertilizer  should  be  avoided.     Beyond  a  certain 
limit  profits  are  much  more  uncertain. 

7.  One  application  on  clay  soils  has  been 
found  as  satisfactory  as  more  where  less  than 
500    pounds    per    acre    were    used.     Quickly 
available  substances,  such  as  nitrate  of  soda, 
should   be   applied   to   growing   crops.     When 
large    amounts    of    fertilizer    are    used,    and 
on  special  soils,  two  applications  are  sometimes 
more  profitable. 

8.  Where   all   the  benefits   from   fertilizers 
are  desired  the  first  season,  only  readily  avail- 
able materials  should  enter  into  its  composition. 
For  permanent  improvement  of  the  soil  more 


FERTILIZERS  FOR  COTTON  65 

slowly  available  materials  may  be  used  and 
these  are  usually  cheaper. 

9.  The  effect  of  fertilizers  on  crops  after 
the  first  year  depends  on  season,  soil  condition, 
and  materials  used. 

10.  Fertilizers  give  best  results  when  not 
applied  more  than  two  or  three  inches  deep,  ex- 
cept when  used  on  dry  land,  then  they  should 
be  deeper. 

11.  Organic   nitrogen    such    as    cottonseed 
meal,   dried    blood,   tankage,    and    fish    scrap 
have  been  found  preferable  in  mixed  fertilizers 
where  only  one  early  application  is  made. 

12.  Potash  is  not  needed  on  much  of  the 
cotton  soils  as  a  fertilizer,  but  kainit  has  been 
found  greatly  beneficial  on  soils  subject  to  cot- 
ton rust. 

13.  Home  mixing  is   profitable.    A  better 
grade  of  materials  can  be  had,  and  the  mixing 
can  be  done  to  suit  special  soils  or  crops. 

14.  A  judicious  use  of  fertilizers  will  increase 
yields  on  any  soil.     It  hastens  maturity  so 
that  cotton  may  be  grown  farther  north,  and 
also  makes  it  possible  to  offset  insect  damage. 

15.  Rotation  of  crops  is  very  beneficial  on 
the  cotton  farm,  especially  if  all  the  crops  arc 


66        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

fertilized.     In  this  way  the  benefits  from  the 
fertilizers  will  be  cumulative. 

16.  If  nitrogen-gathering  crops   are  grown 
and  manures  and  waste  matter  about  the  farm 
plowed  under  and  incorporated  with  the  soil, 
the  mechanical  condition  will  be  greatly  im- 
proved and  little  nitrogen  (the  most  expensive 
element  in  fertilizers)  will  have  to  be  purchased. 

17.  Where  cotton   has   been   grown   exclu- 
sively on  lands  for  a  long  period,  a  complete 
fertilizer  is  necessary,  but  where  rotation  has 
been   practised  only  two  of  the  elements  and 
sometimes  but  one  will  have  to  be  purchased. 
The  actual  field  experiments  of  the  individual 
farmer  will   be  necessary  to   determine  what 
elements  are  required.     A  close  study  of  these 
problems  by  the  farmer  will  save  money  now 
uselessly  squandered  on  commercial  manure. 


Improvement  of  Cotton  by  Seed  Selection 


CHAPTER  VI 

IMPROVEMENT    OF   COTTON    BY    SEED    SELECTION 

THE  careful  selection  of  the  best  seed  is 
a  matter  of  importance  to  the  cotton 
farmer.  It  has  been  a  too  common 
practice  to  plant  inferior  mixed  seed  from  the 
gin  or  oil  mill,  no  attention  having  been  given 
to  seed  selection.  Tests  show  conclusively  that 
by  selecting  the  best  seed  from  the  most  desir- 
able stalks  the  yield  will  be  from  10  to  20  per 
cent,  more  than  where  gin  run  seed,  even  of  the 
same  variety,  are  used.  At  the  present  price 
of  cotton  the  loss  to  the  farmer  who  plants  poor 
seed  will  be  from  $5  to  $15  per  acre. 

Cotton  is  a  plant  which  is  very  susceptible  to 
improvement  by  seed  selection,  and  can  be 
greatly  modified  in  form  and  habit  in  a  very 
few  successive  crops.  The  bloom  is  large 
and  open  and  cross  fertilization  is  constantly 
taking  place  by  means  of  insects  and  other 
causes.  The  cotton  plant  sports  easily  and 

69 


7O       KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

responds  quickly  to  differences  in  environment, 
soil,  climate,  treatment,  and  fertilization.  This 
is  an  aid  to  the  farmer  if  he  uses  care  in  selecting 
his  seed,  but  if  no  attention  is  given  to  seed 
selection,  the  plant  will  show  deterioration  year 
after  year. 

The  main  points  to  be  considered  in  improv- 
ing cotton  seed  are  —  variety  or  type,  selec- 
tion, ginning,  and  storage.  By  type  is  meant 
the  kind  of  stalk,  bolls,  lint,  and  general  char- 
acteristics. There  are  but  few  botanical  va- 
rieties, but  there  are  a  large  number  of  what 
might  be  called  "Agricultural  varieties"  and 
these  agricultural  varieties  have  a  great  many 
more  names  than  there  are  recognizable  forms. 
There  are  a  great  many  varieties  that  have 
been  developed  by  the  careful  work  of  the  most 
progressive  farmers  through  years  of  seed 
selection.  Each  farmer  should  decide  which 
type  or  variety  is  best  suited  to  his  conditions, 
should  grow  it  exclusively  and  continue  to 
improve  it.  In  choosing  a  variety,  too  little 
attention  is  often  given  to  some  qualities  and 
too  much  to  others.  In  making  a  choice 
of  a  variety  the  following  points  should  be 
given  careful  attention  and  consideration: 


SEED   SELECTION  71 

adaptability,  productiveness,  earliness,  habit  of 
growth,  length  and  strength  of  fiber,  size  of 
seed,  and  susceptibility  to  disease.  A  desir- 
able type  of  upland  cotton  is  one  having  a 
strong,  vigorous,  short-jointed  stalk  with  plenty 
of  fruit  limbs  on  the  lower  half;  fruit  limbs 
short-jointed  and  extending  to  the  outer 
border  of  the  plant  and  fruiting  to  the  end; 
large  bolls,  storm  resisting;  a  high  percentage 
of  lint;  medium-size  seed;  staple  at  least  one 
and  one  eighth  inches,  and  strong;  plant 
hardy,  early,  and  prolific. 

Simplest  Method  of  Seed  Selection.  —  The 
simplest  method  of  seed  selection  is  for  one 
careful  hand  to  go  ahead  of  the  pickers  at 
the  first  or  second  picking  and  take  the  best 
bolls,  from  near  the  heart  of  the  stalk,  from 
such  plants  as  nearest  approach  the  type 
for  which  the  grower  is  selecting.  Store  this 
selected  seed  cotton  in  a  dry  place  and  wait  until 
the  gins  are  not  crowded,  then  carefully  clean 
the  gin,  put  down  a  sheet  to  catch  the  seed, 
and  run  the  selected  cotton  through.  Store 
these  seeds  in  a  dry  place  until  it  is  time  for 
planting.  This  kind  of  seed  selection  will 
aid  in  maintaining  the  excellence  and  purity 


72        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

of  a  good  variety  and  is  practicable  for  farmers 
who  cannot  devote  much  time  to  cotton 
breeding. 

Plant-to-the-Row  Method.  —  A  much  better 
plan  and  one  that  should  be  adopted  by  the 
farmer  who  wants  to  do  careful  seed  breeding 
is  to  have  a  breeding  patch,  separated  as  far 
as  possible  from  any  other  cotton  to  avoid 
cross  fertilization.  It  will  be  best  to  have 
this  breeding  patch  at  least  one  fourth  of  a 
mile  from  any  other  cotton.  Select  a  plat 
of  ground  for  this  purpose  having  uniform 
character  and  fertility  of  soil.  From  the  best 
field  of  cotton  each  year  select  one  hundred 
stalks,  or  as  many  as  can  be  conveniently 
handled,  and  gin  the  cotton  from  each  stalk 
separately.  A  specially  constructed  small  gin 
will  be  best  for  this  purpose,  but  if  this  cannot 
be  had  the  seed  can  be  planted  without  ginning. 

Lay  off  the  seed  patch  in  rows  of  equal 
length  and  uniform  width  and  plant  the  seed 
from  each  stalk  in  a  separate  row.  Mark 
the  rows  off  in  checks  of  equal  width  and  plant 
the  seed  in  hills.  Plants  may  show  marks  of 
excellence  due  to  favorable  environments  but 
by  keeping  the  seed  from  each  plant  separate, 


SEED    SELECTION  73 

and  planted  in  separate  rows,  the  good  qualities 
inherited  from  the  parent  plant  will  be  easily 
determined,  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  these  plants  will  transfer  their  good 
qualities  to  their  offspring.  From  the  rows 
showing  that  the  plants  have  inherited  the  good 
qualities  of  theirparent  plant,  select  one  hundred 
plants  to  be  planted  in  the  plant- to-a-row 
patch  the  second  year.  The  remainder  of  the 
seed  from  the  best  stalks  in  the  rows  showing 
the  most  excellence  may  be  selected  and  planted 
in  a  larger  field  from  which  seed  can  be  grown 
to  plant  the  entire  crop  the  year  following. 

The  following  diagram  by  Webber  illustrates 
seed  breeding  by  the  plant- to-a-row  method: 

1st  Year       2nd  Year   3rd  Year    4th  Year      5th  Year 

Select  Plant  (l)(    500  )    (      5      )    (General)    (  ) 

(Plants]  \  Acres  J    (    Crop    j(  j 

Select  Plant  (i)        (    500  )    (      5       )    (General) 
(Plants)    (  Acres  j    (    Crop  j 

Select  Plant  (i)        (     500     )(       5      I 
1  Plants  j    (  Acres   j 

Select  Plant  (i)          (     500     ) 
(  Plants  j 

Select  Plant     (i) 


74        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

Cross  Fertilization.  —  When  it  is  desired  to 
combine  the  good  qualities  of  two  varieties 
in  a  single  stock,  this  work  can  be  best  ac- 
complished by  cross  fertilization.  It  is  quite 
probable  that  most  of  the  varieties  which  have 
been  developed  from  single  plants  have  really 
originated  by  means  of  accidental  crossing  of 
different  varieties. 

While  cross  fertilization  is  the  surest  method 
for  the  production  of  new  varieties,  it  is  largely 
work  in  the  dark,  as  plants  resulting  from  the 
crosses  may  inherit  the  weak  qualities  of  both 
parents  without  showing  the  good  qualities 
of  either.  It  is  often  necessary  to  make  a 
hundred  or  more  crosses  before  producing  a 
plant  showing  the  desired  combinations.  Even 
after  a  plant  has  been  secured  showing  the 
desired  qualities  the  majority  of  its  offspring 
will  not  inherit  these  qualities.  After  the 
cross  is  made  and  a  plant  of  desired  type 
secured  it  is  then  necessary  to  practise  care- 
ful seed  selection  for  a  number  of  years  before 
there  is  much  uniformity  between  the  different 
plants. 

While  there  is  much  variation  between  in- 
dividual plants  resulting  from  a  single  line 


SEED    SELECTION  75 

of  crossing,  still,  as  a  general  rule,  the  character 
of  stalk  and  the  habit  of  growth  in  the  future 
plant  will  be  more  like  the  female  parent,  while 
the  fruit  of  the  plant  will  be  more  like  the  male 
parent. 

It  will  not  be  found  very  difficult  to  artifi- 
cially cross  fertilize  flowers  of  the  cotton  plants. 

Near  sunset  select  a  large,  well-developed 
flower  bud  that  would  be  open  the  next  morning, 
and  carefully  remove  the  anthers  from  the 
flower  by  means  of  a  small  pair  of  scissors  or 
a  sharp,  thin  bladed  knife,  using  care  not 
to  bruise  the  pistil  of  the  flower.  As  soon 
as  the  anthers  are  removed  tie  a  paper  bag 
over  the  mutilated  flower  to  keep  out  insect 
visitors. 

Next  pick  out  a  large,  well  developed  bud 
on  the  plant  that  is  to  furnish  the  pollen  and 
tie  over  the  bud  a  paper  bag  to  keep  out 
the  insects.  The  following  morning  the  pistil 
will  be  fully  developed  and  ready  to  receive 
pollen.  Pull  the  entire  flower  that  is  to  furnish 
the  pollen  and  rub  its  anthers  lightly  over  the 
stigma  of  the  flower  from  which  the  anthers 
were  removed.  Again  place  the  paper  bag 
over  the  cross  pollenated  flower  and  leave 


76        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

until  the  young  boll  is  developed,  which  will 
be  in  four  or  five  days.  The  paper  bag  should 
then  be  removed  and  the  boll  carefully  labelled 
with  a  small  tag  so  that  it  can  be  readily 
identified  at  harvest  time. 


Varieties  of  American  Upland  Cotton 


CHAPTER   VII 

VARIETIES  OF  AMERICAN    UPLAND  COTTON 

THE  American  upland  varieties  of  cotton 
are  commercially  divided  into  two 
groups  —  short  staple  or  those  having 
a  fiber  three  fourths  to  one  and  one  eighth  inches 
in  length,  and  long  staple  or  those  having  a 
fiber  from  one  and  three  sixteenths  inches  to 
one  and  five  eighths  inches. 

Short  staple  varieties  when  grown  on  moist 
alluvial  soils  frequently  produce  a  staple 
slightly  longer  than  one  and  one  eighth  inches, 
but  hardly  long  enough  to  be  classed  in  the  long 
staple  group.  This  grade  of  cotton  is  known 
commercially  as  rivers  or  benders. 

Varieties  of  American  Upland  Cotton.  — There 
are  several  hundred  so-called  varieties  of  cotton, 
but  a  large  number  of  these  are  practically 
identical.  This  multiplication  of  names  has 
been  brought  about  largely  by  farmers  who 
secure  seed  of  some  standard  variety  and 

79 


80        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

after  growing  it  for  one  or  two  seasons,  give 
it  their  own  name  or  some  local  name  for 
commercial  purposes. 

Classification  of  Varieties.  — There  are  several 
methods  of  classification  of  American  upland 
cotton.  They  may  be  classified  according  to 
conformation  of  stalk,  length  of  staple,  earli- 
ness,  size  of  boll,  and  percentage  of  lint. 

J.  F.  Duggar,  Director  of  Alabama  Experi- 
ment Station,  Bulletin  140,  divides  American 
upland  into  eight  groups.  His  classification 
with  description  of  each  group  is  as  follows: 

(1)  Cluster  varieties,  or  Dickson  type. 

(2)  Semi-cluster  varieties,  or  Peerless  type. 

(3)  Rio  Grande  varieties,  or  Peterkin  type. 

(4)  The  King-like  varieties,  or  King  type. 

(5)  Big  Boll  varieties,  or  Truitt  type. 

(6)  Long    Limb    varieties,    or    Petit    Gulf 
type. 

(7)  Intermediate  varieties,  or  various  types. 

(8)  Long  Staple  Upland  varieties,  or  Allen 
type. 

The  lines  of  demarkation  between  these 
groups  are  not  always  clear  and  distinct;  one 
group  often  merges  into  another  by  almost 


AMERICAN    UPLAND    COTTON  8 1 

imperceptible  gradations,  just  as  is  the  case 
with  related  varieties. 

Below  is  given  a  list  of  the  varieties  which 
are  included  under  these  several  groups,  and 
also  a  general  description  of  the  varieties 
composing  each  class.  Some  varieties  are  not 
classified,  either  because  of  insufficient  data, 
or  more  frequently  because  badly  mixed. 
In  cases  of  a  medium  degree  of  impurity,  or 
variation,  description  has  been  made  of  the 
predominant  type. 

Group  I:  Cluster  Varieties,  or  Dickson 
Type.  —  The  most  striking  characters  are  (i) 
the  extreme  shortness  of  the  fruit  limbs,  and 
(2)  the  tendency  of  the  bolls  to  grow  in 
clusters,  often  two  and  even  three  from  the 
same  node.  The  plants  are  often  tall  and 
always  slender  and  normally  erect,  though 
often  bent  down  by  the  weight  of  bolls  growing 
near  the  upper  end  of  the  main  stem.  The 
few  base  limbs  are  often  long,  or  there  may  be 
no  wood  limbs,  especially  when  these  varieties 
are  closely  crowded  or  grown  on  poor  land. 
The  bolls  and  seed  are  usually  small,  but 
may  be  of  medium  size;  the  seed  are  thickly 
covered  with  fuzz,  which  is  usually  whit- 


82        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

ish,  with  little  or  no  brownish  or  greenish 
tinge. 

As  to  the  time  of  maturity  these  varieties 
must  be  classed  as  early,  even  though  they 
sometimes  make  a  second  growth  of  bolls  in 
the  top  of  the  plant  which  may  fail  to  mature. 
In  earliness  they  are  surpassed  by  the  varieties 
of  the  King  type  (Class  IV). 

In  percentage  of  lint  they  are  variable,  some 
of  them  equalling  in  this  respect  the  Rio 
Grande  group. 

Dickson,  Jackson  (also  called  Limbless  or 
African),  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.,  No.  128,  and  Wei- 
born,  belong  to  this  group. 

Group  II:  Semi-cluster  Varieties,  or  Peer- 
less Type.  —  These  varieties  have  in  less 
marked  degree  some  of  the  qualities  which 
distinguish  Class  I,  being  erect  and  having 
bolls  borne  singly  very  near  together.  Along 
the  main  stem  are  short  fruit  limbs  increas- 
ing in  length  toward  the  bottom  of  the  stem. 
The  two  to  five  base  or  wood  limbs  are  usually 
of  medium  length.  In  size  of  bolls  and  size  of 
seed  and  percentage  of  lint  there  is  considerable 
diversity  among  these  varieties.  The  seeds  are 
usually  well  covered  with  fuzz  of  many  shades, 


I 


•a 


I*, 

o  - 
O  S 

.s 


AMERICAN    UPLAND    COTTON  83 

whitish,  greenish,  or  brownish.  Most  of  these 
varieties  are  early  or  medium,  but  some  that 
belong  in  both  the  semi-cluster  and  big  boll 
groups  are  late  in  maturing.  The  following 
varieties  are  included  in  the  semi-cluster  group: 
Barnett,  Berryhill,  Blue  Ribbon  (L.  S.),  Cum- 
mings,  Defiance,  Dongola  (B.  B.),  Feather- 
stone,  Garrard,  Haralson  (B.  B.),  Hardin, 
Hawkins,  Herndon,  Milliard,  Lealand,  McCall, 
Minor,  Montclare  (B.  B.),  Norris,  Peerless, 
Pullnot,  Rogers  (B.  B.),  Sterling,  Tyler,  and 
Woodfin. 

Group  III:  Rio  Grande  Varieties,  or  Peter- 
kin  Type.  —  The  characters  which  most  dis- 
tinctly mark  this  class  are: 

(1)  The   large   proportion   of   lint,   usually 
35  per  cent,  or  more,  of  the  weight  of  seed 
cotton,  and 

(2)  Seeds  of  which  many  are  bare  of  fuzz, 
except  at  the  tip  end,  or  so  scantily  covered 
with  fuzz  that  the  dark  seed  hull  shows  through. 

The  plants  are  well  branched,  and  usually, 
on  upland  soils,  of  medium  size.  On  many 
plants  the  stems  and  branches  are  of  a  deep 
red  color.  The  bolls  are  small  to  medium 
and  the  seeds  are  quite  small.  In  time  of 


84        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

maturing  these  varieties  are  usually  neither 
very  early  nor  extremely  late. 

The  varieties  included  in  this  group  are 
conveniently  divided  into  two  sub-groups  ac- 
cording to  the  presence  or  absence  of  naked, 
smooth  seed.  The  following  Rio  Grande  vari- 
eties have  a  considerable  proportion  of  naked 
seed:  Ansom  Cream,  Bates,  Braddy,  Brannon, 
Cameron,  Carolina  Queen,  Champion,  Combi- 
nation, Crossland,  Dixie  Wilt-Resistant,  Moss, 
Parker,  Peterkin,  Pinkerton,  Ptomey,  Shine 
Black  Seed,  Sistrunk,  Texas  Oak,  Texas  Wood, 
Victor,  and  Wise. 

Rio  Grande  varieties  having  practically  no 
naked  seed,  but  having  many  seeds  so  scantily 
clothed  with  fuzz  that  the  dark  seed  coat 
shows  through,  giving  a  brown  color,  are  the 
following: 

Berryhill,  Borden,  Bearing,  (probably) 
Eureka  Favorite,  (probably)  Gregg,  Layton, 
Park's  Own,  Speight,  and  (probably)  Toole. 

Group  IV:  King-Like  Varieties,  or  King 
Type.  —  The  varieties  of  this  group  are  the 
earliest  of  American  cottons.  The  plants  are 
usually  small  but  may  be  of  medium  size. 
The  limbs  are  numerous  and  the  fruit  limbs 


AMERICAN    UPLAND    COTTON  85 

are  rather  long  in  proportion  to  the  height 
of  plant.  The  fruit  limbs  are  often  crooked 
at  the  joints,  reminding  one  of  the  crooked 
twigs  of  a  black  jack  oak.  The  base  limbs 
are  short  and  sometimes  replaced  by  fruit 
limbs  bearing  a  number  of  bolls  on  each. 
King  is  essentially  a  short-jointed,  compact 
plant  with  an  abundance  of  slender,  rather 
crooked  limbs.  The  bolls  of  this  group  are 
small;  the  seeds  are  usually  small  and  thickly 
covered  with  fuzz  which  is  usually  brownish, 
with  an  occasional  seed  showing  a  greenish 
tint.  The  percentage  of  lint  is  usually  33 
to  35,  and  sometimes  higher.  King  and  its 
synonyms  have  on  many  blooms  a  red  spot 
near  the  base  of  the  inner  portion  of  each  petal. 
The  varieties  of  this  group  are:  Dozier,  Grier, 
Golddust,  Hodge,  King,  Simpkins,  Lowry, 
Mascot,  Missonary,  and  probably  Shine  Early. 
Group  V:  Big  Boll  Varieties  or  Truitt 
Types.  —  The  character  which  especially  dis- 
tinguishes this  class  is  the  large  size  of  bolls, 
of  which  only  45  to  68  are  required  to  yield  a 
pound  of  seed  cotton.  Other  specially  nota- 
ble qualities  are  late  maturity  and  vigorous 
growth  of  stalk.  The  seeds  are  large  or  very 


86        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

large,  and  covered  with  a  thick  fuzz,  generally 
brownish  white  or  whitish,  a  part  of  the  seed 
of  many  of  these  varieties  being  covered  with 
a  deep  green  fuzz.  The  per  cent,  of  lint  often 
runs  rather  low  and  is  usually  between  31  and 
35.  The  bolls  are  not  closely  clustered;  in 
some  varieties  the  upper  limbs  are  so  short 
as  to  give  the  top  of  the  plant  the  erect,  slen- 
der appearance  which  is  common  among  semi- 
cluster  varieties.  In  typical  plants  the  base 
limbs  are  of  short  or  medium  length,  the  num- 
ber of  fruit  limbs  and  bolls  relatively  few, 
and  the  main  stem  is  rather  short.  However, 
a  number  of  varieties  are  included  here  that 
have  all  or  many  of  their  plants  of  the  semi- 
cluster  form. 

The  following  varieties  belong  in  this  group: 
Alex.  Allen,  Anderson,  Bancroft,  Banks,  Berry, 
Bohemian,  Cheise,  Christopher,  Cleveland, 
Cliett,  Cook  Improved,  Coppedge,  Culpep- 
per,  Diamond,  Double  Header,  Dongola. 
Drake  (Ala.),  Duncan,  Ellis,  Grayson,  Gunn, 
Haralson,  Hunnicutt  Big  Boll,  Hutchinson, 
Jones,  Langford,  Lee,  Maddox,  Montclare, 
Mortgage  Lifter,  Ozier  Big  Boll,  Reliable, 
Rogers,  Rowden,  Ruralist,  Russell,  Scogin, 


AMERICAN   UPLAND   COTTON  87 

Sewell,  Schley,  Smith  Improved,  Smith  Stand- 
ard, Southern  Wonder,  Spearman,  Strickland, 
Tatum,  Texas  Bur,  Texas  Storm  Proof,  Thrash, 
Todd,  Triumph,  Truitt,  Webber-Russell,  Whit- 
ten,  and  Wyche. 

Group  VI:  Long  Limb  Upland  Varieties, 
Petit  Gulf  Type.  —  The  varieties  in  this  class 
grow  to  large  size  and  have  long  limbs  and 
long  joints,  the  plants  presenting  a  straggling 
appearance  or  want  of  compactness.  The 
bolls  and  seeds  are  both  of  medium  to 
large  size,  the  latter  covered  with  fuzz  of 
various  shades.  The  per  cent,  of  lint  is 
usually  low.  The  long  limb  form  is  usually 
accompanied  by  unproductiveness  on  average 
upland  soil. 

The  following  varieties  are  included  in  this 
group:  Hagaman,  Louisiana,  Peeler,  Petit 
Gulf,  and  probably  Red  Leaf. 

Group  Vll:  Intermediate  Varieties  or  Vari- 
ous Types.  —  This  group  is  here  added  to  the 
scheme  of  classification  published  by  the 
writer  in  1899,  primarily  to  include  varieties 
having  limbs  a  little  too  long  to  bring  them 
within  the  semi-cluster  class.  It  is  also  made 
to  include  a  few  other  varieties  that  are  inter- 


88        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

mediate  between  any  two  of  the  other  seven 
groups. 

To  this  division  are  assigned,  Breden,  Boyd, 
Edgeworth,  Eureka,  Excelsior,  Gold  Standard, 
Hunnicutt  (J.  B.),  Lewis,  Meredith,  Roby, 
Rosser,  (probably)  Shine  Early,  Sprueill,  (pos- 
sibly) Toole,  Tucker,  and  Webber-Russell. 

Group  Fill:  Long  Staple  Varieties,  or  Allen 
Type.  —  The  length  of  staple  is  the  distinguish- 
ing characteristics.  The  lint  usually  measures 
i|  to  i|  inches  in  length.  An  almost  invari- 
able accompaniment  to  great  length  of  staple 
is  a  low  proportion  of  lint. 

The  plants  grow  to  large  size,  have  limbs  of 
great  length,  and  usually  present  a  straggling 
appearance,  though  in  some  varieties  only  the 
base  limbs  are  long,  the  upper  limbs  bearing  a 
number  of  bolls  close  to  the  main  stem,  and 
giving  the  upper  portion  of  the  plant  the 
appearance  of  great  prolificacy. 

The  bolls  are  not  very  large,  but  are  long, 
usually  slender,  tapering  to  a  sharp  point. 
Most  of  these  long  staple  varieties  are  late  in 
maturing  a  crop. 

The  seeds  are  mostly  of  medium  to  large  size, 
usually  densely  covered  with  fuzz,  from  which 


Big  boll  group:  Truitt  variety 

The  King-like,  or  Early  group : 

Shine   variety 


Varieties  of  cotton 

Cluster  group:  Jackson  limbless 
M 


Semi<luster 


variety 


Hawkins 


Varieties  of  cotton 
Sea   Island  Upland  long-staple  group:  Allen 


Rio  Grande  Group:  Peterkin 
variety 


variety 

A  stalk  showing  desirable  type  of 
Upland  cotton 


AMERICAN    UPLAND    COTTON  89 

all  trace  of  green  is  absent,  the  color  being 
almost  pure  white,  or  in  some  varieties  of  a 
brownish  tint.  In  some  varieties  the  seeds  are 
bare.  In  the  long  staple  group  are  included: 

Allen  Long  Staple,  Allen  Hybrid  Long  Staple, 
Black  Rattler,  Blue  Ribbon,  Cobweb,  Cook 
Long  Staple,  Colthorp,  Davis,  Florodora, 
Gholson,  Griffin,  Keno,  Laclede,  Ozier  Long 
Staple,  Simms,  Sunflower,  and  Wonderful. 

Relative  Value  of  Varieties.  —  The  relative 
value  of  the  different  varieties  can  be  determined 
only  by  the  number  of  dollars  per  acre  each 
will  bring.  Each  section  of  the  cotton  growing 
belt  should  secure  varieties  specially  adapted 
to  the  particular  conditions  by  which  they  are 
to  be  surrounded.  W.  R.  Perkins,  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Experiment  Station,  in  a  test  of  sixteen 
well-known  varieties,  under  the  same  conditions 
and  with  the  same  cultivation  found  the  differ- 
ence in  value  per  acre  of  the  best  over  the  poor- 
est was  $19.25  one  year,  and  $26.81  another 
year.  This  wide  range  of  values  would  certainly 
indicate  that  ascertaining  the  proper  variety 
to  be  grown  was  necessary  for  success.  A 
variety  may  succeed  well  in  one  locality  and 
when  transferred  to  another  section  and  planted 


9O        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

on  a  different  soil  may  not  maintain  its  good 
qualities.  Some  varieties  are  more  liable  to 
suffer  from  insects  than  others;  some  are  more 
susceptible  to  certain  diseases  than  others; 
some  produce  fairly  well  under  almost  any 
condition  while  others  produce  well  under 
favorable  conditions,  but  fail  miserably  on 
unfavorable  soils  or  with  unfavorable  cli- 
matic conditions.  Some  of  the  long  staple 
varieties  which  produce  a  long,  strong,  silky 
fiber  on  moist  rich  alluvial  river  bottom  soil, 
fail  to  produce  as  good  quality  of  lint  or  as 
satisfactory  yield  per  acre  when  planted  on 
high  dry  uplands. 

The  yieldjsf  lint  per  acre  of  long  staple  cot- 
ton on  the  same  land  and  with  the  same  treat- 
ment will  be  from  30  to  40  per  cent,  less  than 
short  cotton.  Long  staple  cotton  is  more  ex- 
pensive to  harvest  on  account  of  the  size  and 
shape  of  boll,  making  it  harder  to  pick  and 
requires  more  care  and  expense  in  ginning. 
For  the  farmer  to  be  justified  in  growing  long 
staple  cotton  he  should  receive  at  least 
a  premium  of  40  per  cent,  over  the  price 
of  short  cotton.  In  other  words,  when 
short  cotton  is  selling  at  ten  cents  per 


AMERICAN    UPLAND    COTTON  9! 

pound  long  staple  cotton  will  have  to  sell 
for  about  fourteen  cents  per  pound  for  the 
farmer  to  realize  as  much  per  acre  from 
it. 

On  lands  suitable,  the  big  boll  cottons  are 
preferable  for  the  following  reasons:  The 
plants  are  stronger  and  more  vigorous,  it  is 
much  easier  to  harvest,  and  not  so  liable 
to  damage  from  rain  or  storm  when  harvesting 
is  delayed. 

In  purchasing  seed  of  the  chosen  variety 
attention  should  be  given  to  the  care  that  has 
been  exercised  in  seed  selection  by  the  grower 
and  not  to  advertisements  of  extra  large 
yields.  It  is  also  best  to  procure  seeds  that 
were  grown  near  by,  if  possible,  as  they  are 
already  acclimated  and  adapted  to  local 
conditions. 

The  following  varieties  of  small  boll  early 
short  staple  cottons  have  taken  high  rank  in 
yield  of  lint  per  acre  at  experiment  stations 
in  recent  years: 

Toole  Trice 

Simpkins  Hawkins 

King 

The  following  big  boll  short  staple  cottons 


92        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

have    taken    high    rank    in   yiekl   of   lint  per 

acre: 

Triumph  Russell 

Cleveland  Cook's  Improved 

Truitt 

Triumph,  Cleveland,  and  Cook's  Improved 
are  medium  early,  Truitt  and  Russell  are  late 
maturing. 

The  following  long  staple  cottons  have 
taken  high  rank: 

Columbia  Griffin 

Hartwell  Allen 

Sunflower 

Sea  Island  Cotton.  —  Sea  Island  cotton  is  a 
native  of  the  West  Indies  and  Central 
America  and  is  grown  only  in  a  limited 
area  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Flor- 
ida, and  off-lying  islands.  It  is  seldom 
profitable  when  grown  more  than  one  hun- 
dred or  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
from  the  seacoast. 

The  plant  grows  rather  tall,  has  long,  slender 
branches,  leaves  with  long  slender  lobes,  the 
bolls  are  small,  slender  and  sharp  pointed 
having  usually  only  three  locks,  and  the  fiber 


American  Upland  cotton 

Leaves:  flower  opening  creamy  white  in  the  morning,  closing  and 
changing  to  rose  pink  in  the  afternoon;  unopened  bolls;  mature  open 
bolls  with  cotton  ready  for  picking 


Cotton  boll  with  anthracnose 
Root-knot  on  cotton  plant 


AMERICAN    UPLAND    COTTON  93 

is  fine  and  silky,  ranging  from  ij  to  2  inches 
in  length. 

Sea  Island  cotton  produces  the  finest  staple 
of  any  cotton  grown  and  is  used  to  manu- 
facture thread  and  the  most  expensive  cotton 
fabrics. 


Some   Cotton    Diseases   and   Insect  Pests 
With  Suggestions  for  Their  Control 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SOME  COTTON  DISEASES  AND  INSECT  PESTS  WITH 
SUGGESTIONS   FOR   THEIR    CONTROL 

THE  cotton  plant  is  subject  to  more  dis- 
eases and  insect  enemies  than  any  of 
the  farm  crops  of  the  South.  This  is 
to  some  extent  due  to  the  delicate  nature  of 
the  plant  in  its  early  life.  It  is  also  partly  due 
to  the  fact  that  cotton  has  been  forced  to  adapt 
itself  to  more  or  less  artificial  conditions;  it  is 
naturally  a  tropical  plant.  While  cotton  has 
its  origin  in  tropical  climates,  it  is  very  largely 
grown  commercially  in  semi-tropical  countries, 
and  under  entirely  changed  conditions.  It  is 
probably  better  for  the  average  cotton  producer 
that  the  cotton  plant  has  its  enemies,  for  with 
nothing  to  check  its  growth  and  production 
the  supply  would  be  largely  in  excess  of  demand. 
Anthracnose  or  Pink  Boll  Rot.  —  This  is  a 
fungus  which  causes  the  bolls  to  rot  and  is  more 
or  less  prevalent  in  all  parts  of  the  cotton 

97 


98        KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

belt.  No  variety  of  cotton  is  entirely  free 
from  this  disease,  but  some  varieties  are  more 
subject  to  it  than  others. 

This  disease  first  appears  on  the  bolls  as 
very  small,  dark  spots,  which  enlarge  and 
become  somewhat  sunken  in  the  centres, 
which  are  pink  or  reddish  brown. 

The  disease  is  spread  by  spores  formed  on  the 
diseased  areas  and  is  carried  over  winter  in 
infected  seed  and  possibly  in  old  cotton  plants. 
Anthracnose  is  worse  in  wet  than  in  dry  sea- 
sons. By  giving  the  cotton  plenty  of  space 
to  let  in  sunlight  and  air  the  disease  will  be 
less  prevalent. 

It  is  claimed  by  some  farmers  and  investi- 
gators that  deep  breaking  the  land  in  the  fall 
completely  burying  all  old  cotton  plants  has 
a  tendency  to  lessen  the  damage  from  this 
disease. 

In  selecting  seed  be  careful  to  avoid  selecting 
from  plants  affected  by  anthracnose. 

Cotton  Wilt.  —  This  is  a  fungous  disease 
which  attacks  the  roots  and  stems  of  the 
plant.  It  enters  the  roots  from  the  soil  and 
plugs  up  the  water  carrying  vessels  of  the 
roots  and  stems. 


A  young  cotton  plant  dying  from  wilt 


A  typical  plant  of  Dillon  wilt-resistant  cotton 


SOME    COTTON    DISEASES  99 

This  disease  first  makes  its  outward  appear- 
ance in  a  cotton  field  by  a  sudden  wilting  of 
the  leaves  which  turn  yellow  and  fall  without 
apparent  reason. 

An  examination  of  the  roots  of  a  freshly 
wilted  plant  that  has  been  attacked  by  the 
wilt  fungus  always  shows  a  blackened  condi- 
tion of  the  inner  wood  of  the  root  or  stem. 

So  far  as  known  cotton  and  okra  are  the  only 
plants  the  cotton  wilt  fungus  lives  on  as  a 
parasite. 

This  disease  cannot  be  controlled  by  the 
application  of  potash  as  some  farmers  suppose. 

The  wilt  fungus  lives  in  the  soil  and  is 
spread  by  the  plow,  by  drainage  water,  by 
cattle,  by  manure,  and  other  means  of  carry- 
ing the  spores  from  one  place  to  another.  No 
direct  proof  is  available  that  this  disease  has 
been  spread  by  planting  seed  from  infected 
fields,  but  many  cases  have  been  reported 
which  indicate  that  the  disease  may  be  spread 
in  this  way. 

In  every  field  attacked  by  wilt  there  will  be 
found  a  few  plants  not  affected  by  the  disease. 
By  selecting  seed  from  these  plants  a  strain 
of  cotton  may  be  secured  practically  immune 


IOO     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

to  the  disease.  Another  means  suggested 
for  the  control  of  this  disease  is  by  practising 
crop  rotation,  using  in  the  rotation  crops  that 
are  not  affected  by  the  wilt  fungus  and  the 
nematode  worm  —  a  very  small  worm  which 
attacks  the  roots  of  plants  causing  root  knot. 
It  is  claimed  that  the  attack  of  this  worm  on 
the  cotton  roots  makes  it  easier  for  the  wilt 
germ  to  enter.  The  plants  that  may  be  used 
in  a  rotation  to  free  the  land  of  wilt  are:  corn, 
wheat,  oats,  rye,  iron  cowpea,  Brabham  cow- 
pea,  velvet  bean,  beggar  weed,  and  grasses. 

The  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture has  developed  two  varieties  of  cotton 
which  show  great  resistance  to  wilt,  viz., 
Dixie  and  Dillon. 

Cotton  Rust.  —  Cotton  "rust"  first  makes  an 
outward  appearance  by  a  mottled  yellowish 
color  of  the  leaves  in  dry  weather  or  a  sudden 
blackening  and  shedding  of  the  foliage  in  wet 
weather.  This  disease  is  probably  due  to  a 
poor  mechanical  condition  of  the  soil  and  the 
lack  of  some  plant  food  element,  usually  potash. 
Soils  affected  with  rust  are  greatly  benefited  by 
turning  into  them  heavy  crops  of  vegetable  mat- 
ter, and  by  a  rather  liberal  application  of  potash. 


SOME    COTTON '  DISEASES    *         '' 

The  Cotton  Boll-Worm.  —  Perhaps  the  earliest 
insect  to  do  serious  damage  to  the  cotton  crop 
was  the  boll-worm.  It  also  attacks  the  corn 
and  tomato  plant.  It  is  known  in  corn  as 
the  common  ear-worm,  getting  its  name  from 
the  fact  that  the  moth,  laying  the  eggs,  deposits 
them  on  the  silk  of  the  young  ear  of  the  corn. 
Here  they  hatch  out  and  go  into  the  ear  and 
feed  on  the  tip  end  grains  as  they  reach  the 
roasting  ear  stage. 

The  cotton  boll- worm  is  a  large  green  to  dark 
brown  worm  that  destroys  the  partially  grown 
cotton  bolls  by  eating  into  them. 

They  will  invariably  attack  corn  if  in  reach 
before  going  to  cotton.  The  best  way  to 
combat  this  enemy  in  the  cotton  plant  is  to 
use  corn  as  a  catch  crop  for  them.  When 
corn  is  used  for  a  catch  crop,  several  plantings 
should  be  made  so  that  it  will  give  the  worm 
something  to  feed  on  continually,  without 
resorting  to  the  cotton  patch.  This  may  be  done 
by  planting  a  few  rows  of  corn  around  the 
cotton  patch,  or  if  preferred,  two  or  three  rows 
may  be  planted  at  intervals  through  the  fields. 
Some  good  may  be  done  by  the  use  of  poison. 
For  poison  to  be  effective  it  should  be  applied 


•V  "     *5    "    •»*          •    o  *       ->« 

IO2     KfrAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

several  times  during  the  season.  The  poison 
generally  used  for  this  purpose  is  dry  Paris- 
green,  which  is  sprinkled  over  the  plants, 
preferably  in  the  early  morning  while  the  dew  is 
still  on  them.  The  boll-worm  never  attacks 
nor  injures  cotton  except  in  the  bloom  and 
small  boll. 

A  single  moth  may  lay  as  many  as  one  thou- 
sand eggs.  The  eggs  are  laid  on  all  parts  of 
the  plant,  but  especially  on  the  leaves.  After 
the  worm  hatches  it  feeds  on  the  tender  leaves 
until  strong  enough  to  cut  into  a  boll.  Each 
worm  will  destroy  the  contents  of  one  or  more 
bolls.  When  full  grown  the  worm  drops  to 
the  ground,  and  burrows  two  or  three  inches 
below  the  surface,  where  it  remains  until  it 
emerges  as  a  full  grown  moth.  There  will 
usually  be  from  four  to  five  generations  in  a 
season. 

The  boll-worm  passes  the  winter  in  the  ground 
in  the  pupa  stage.  Many  of  these  insects  can 
be  destroyed  by  breaking  the  land  deep  in  the 
fall  or  early  winter. 

The  Cotton  Caterpillar.  —  This  is  one  of  the 
earliest  insect  enemies  of  cotton  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  sometimes  known  as  the  "web- 


A  field  of  Upland  cotton  in  South  Carolina  destroyed 

by  wilt 

Wilt-resistant  Dillon  cotton   on  adjoining   land   badly 
infected  with  wilt 


Moths  of  cotton  boll-worm 
Pupa  of  boll-worm  in  its  underground  burrow 


SOME   COTTON   DISEASES  103 

worm,"  or  "army-worm."  It  appears  almost 
every  year  to  a  limited  extent.  It  has  proven 
disastrous  to  the  cotton  crop  only  a  few  times  in 
the  United  States.  Its  ravages  do  not  extend 
over  a  very  considerable  amount  of  territory 
during  any  one  season. 

There  are  four  stages  in  the  life  of  the  cotton 
worm:  the  egg,  the  larva,  the  pupa,  and  the 
adult.  The  adult  cotton  worm  is  a  brownish 
yellow  or  grayish  colored  moth,  the  wings  of 
which  expand  from  one  and  one  eighth  to  one 
and  one  half  inches.  The  moth  deposits  its 
eggs  on  the  under  side  of  the  leaf  of  the  plant? 
where  it  hatches  out  in  very  hot  weather  in 
about  three  days. 

The  worm  or  larva  feeds  upon  the  leaves  of 
the  plant,  and  when  very  numerous  will  attack 
the  squares  and  the  outer  surface  of  the  bolls 
and  even  the  twigs.  It  has  been  known  to 
destroy  a  whole  field  in  a  few  days  and  then 
move  to  another  field  in  such  numbers  as  to 
derive  the  name  of  "army-worm." 

The  cotton  leaf  worm  or  caterpillar  transforms 
to  the  pupal  stage  on  the  cotton  plant.  The 
beginning  of  this  stage  is  known  as  "webbing 
up."  The  time  required  from  the  hatching  out 


IO4     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

of  the  larva  or  worm  to  the  "webbing  up"  or 
pupal  stage  is  about  fifteen  days.  Usually 
the  caterpillar  spins  a  crude  web  or  cocoon 
using  a  portion  of  the  leaf  for  the  purpose, 
but  in  many  cases  no  web  whatever  is  formed, 
and  the  naked  pupa  hangs  from  the  cotton 
plant  by  means  of  a  thread  spun  by  the  cater- 
pillar. The  time  required  from  the  "webbing 
up"  to  the  hatching  out  of  the  moth  is  in  very 
hot  weather  from  seven  to  ten  days.  The 
complete  life  cycle  from  eggs  to  moth  will  be 
completed  in  hot  weather  in  from  three  to 
four  weeks.  A  single  moth  lays  from  four  to 
six  hundred  eggs  in  a  week  or  ten  days  and 
then  dies. 

From  the  fact  that  the  worm  feeds  on  the 
foliage  of  the  plant,  it  may  be  effectively 
controlled  by  the  use  of  poisons;  Paris-green, 
arsenate  of  lead,  London  purple,  or  any  of  the 
arsenical  poisons  may  be  used  for  this  purpose. 
The  most  common  method  of  poisoning  is  by 
applying  Paris-green  mixed  with  one  or  two 
parts  of  flour  or  lime. 

The  most  practical  method  of  application  is 
the  one  commonly  adopted,  of  sacks  attached 
to  the  ends  of  poles  and  carried  on  horseback 


Stages  and  work  of  the  cotton  worm  or  cotton  caterpillar 


Cotton  plant  attacked  by  boll  weevil 
a,  Hanging  dry  square  infested  by  weevil  larva;  b,  flared  square, 
with  weevil  punctures;  c,  cotton  boll,  sectioned,  showing  attacking 
weevil  and  weevil  larva  in  its  cell 


SOME    COTTON    DISEASES  IO5 

through  the  fields.  Take  a  pole  about  one 
foot  longer  than  the  width  between  the  cotton 
rows,  and  six  inches  from  each  end  of  the  pole 
attach  a  sack  or  bag  containing  the  poison. 
Cheesecloth  will  be  found  a  satisfactory 
material  for  making  the  sacks.  By  the  above 
method  one  hand  on  horseback  can  poison  two 
rows  at  a  time  and  cover  twenty  acres  a  day. 
The  poison  should  be  applied  at  the  first 
appearance  of  the  worm.  It  is  best  to  make  the 
application  early  in  the  day  when  the  leaves  are 
moist  with  dew.  If  the  poison  is  applied  on  a 
calm  day  there  will  be  less  loss  from  the  poison 
drifting  to  the  ground. 

The  Cotton  Boll  Weevil.  —  The  most  destruc- 
tive of  all  insects  that  have  attacked  the  cotton 
plant  is  the  boll  weevil,  which  has  only  been 
in  the  United  States  for  the  past  seventeen  or 
eighteen  years.  It  has  rapidly  spread  each 
year  since  its  first  appearance  and  is  destined 
within  the  next  decade  to  cover  the  entire 
cotton-producing  part  of  the  United  States. 
The  ravages  of  this  enemy  are  so  great  that  the 
total  production  of  some  counties  has  been 
reduced  to  less  than  10  per  cent,  of  the  normal 
production.  However,  a  few  years'  experience 


IO6     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

with  it  has  overcome  the  ravages  to  some  degree 
in  most  sections,  and  in  some  cases  the  farmers 
have  almost  reached  the  original  production. 

The  cotton  boll  weevil  is  a  member  of  the 
beetle  family.  In  size  it  varies  from  one 
eighth  to  three  eighths  inches  in  length  and 
the  breadth  of  its  body  is  about  one  third  its 
length.  The  color  varies  from  a  light  yellow- 
ish brown  to  a  chocolate  brown. 

The  members  of  the  group  of  insects  to  which 
the  boll  weevil  belongs  are  characterized  by 
having  part  of  the  head  in  front  of  the  eyes 
greatly  extended  to  form  a  long  slender  snout. 
The  snout  of  the  boll  weevil  is  slightly  curved 
and  is  about  one  half  as  long  as  from  the  head 
to  the  tip  of  the  body.  The  distinguishing 
feature  of  the  cotton  boll  weevil  is  two  tooth- 
like  projections  on  inner  side  of  the  fore-legs, 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  thigh,  the  inner  or  one 
nearest  the  body  being  longer  than  the  other. 
There  are  four  stages  in  the  life  of  the  weevil, 
the  egg,  the  larva,  the  pupa,  and  adult  weevil. 

Three  of  these  stages,  egg,  larva,  and  pupa 
are  passed  inside  the  cotton  square  or  boll. 
The  egg  is  deposited  by  the  female  weevil  in  a 
cavity  formed  by  eating  into  a  square  or  boll. 


SOME    COTTON    DISEASES  IOJ 

From  the  egg  there  hatches  in  a  few  days  a  small, 
white  footless  grub  or  worm  which  begins  to 
feed,  making  a  larger  place  for  itself  as  it  grows. 
During  the  course  of  its  growth  the  grub  or 
larva  sheds  its  skin  and  the  pupa  appears.  In 
this  stage  it  is  inactive  and  takes  no  food.  In  a 
few  days  the  pupa  sheds  its  skin  and  the  full- 
grown  weevil  appears  and  in  two  or  three  days 
eats  its  way  out  of  the  square  or  boll  and  about 
one  week  later  is  ready  to  start  another  gene- 
ration. 

The  time  required  from  the  laying  of  the 
egg  to  the  emergence  from  the  square  or  boll 
of  the  full-grown  weevil  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty-five  days,  depending  on  the  season — 
the  shorter  time  being  required  during  very 
warm  weather. 

In  the  extreme  southern  part  of  cotton  belt 
there  will  be  as  many  as  five  generations  of 
weevils  in  one  season.  In  the  central  part  of 
the  cotton  belt  there  will  be  from  three  to  four 
generations. 

The  weevil  is  a  very  prolific  insect,  each 
female  weevil  laying  during  a  lifetime  about 
one  hundred  and  forty  eggs,  so  during  a  season 
it  is  estimated  that  one  pair  of  weevils  may  have, 


IO8     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

under  favorable  conditions,  a  living  offspring 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

The  weevil  feeds  by  sucking  out  the  juices 
from  the  inner  portion  of  the  plant,  which  makes 
it  impossible  to  use  poisons  effectively  in  its 
control,  as  is  done  with  insects  which  feed  upon 
the  foliage  of  the  plant.  This  renders  the 
weevil  very  difficult  of  control. 

The  only  way  of  combating  the  ravages  of 
this  insect  is  by  using  all  means  possible  to 
hold  the  weevils  in  check  and  by  practising 
better  cultural  methods  in  producing  the  crop. 
There  are  at  present  no  known  methods  of 
completely  destroying  the  weevil,  so  it  will 
most  likely  be  a  factor  in  all  future  cotton  pro- 
duction in  the  United  States. 

The  Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  has  established  the  follow- 
ing facts  regarding  the  life  history  of  the 
weevil  which  are  important  in  outlining  methods 
for  its  control: 

1.  The  cotton  boll  weevil  feeds  upon  nothing 

but  cotton. 

2.  It  goes   into   winter  quarters   mainly   in 

or  near  the  field  of  its  depredations. 


Cotton  boll-worm  on  outside  and  inside  of  cotton  boll 

Partly  opened  cotton  bolls  showing  effects  of  boll-worm 
damage 


Injury  by  boll-weevil  to  bolls 

a,  Three  larvae  in  boll;  b,  emergence  hole  in  dry  unopened  boll; 
c,  two  larvae  in  boll ;  d,  weevils  puncturing  boll;  e,  opened  boll  with 
two  locks  injured  by  weevil ;  /,  large  bolls  severely  punctured 


SOME    COTTON   DISEASES  IOQ 

3.  That    a    comparatively    small    per    cent. 

of  the  total  weevils  survive  the  winter 
and  emerge  in  the  spring. 

4.  That  the  overwintered  weevil  feeds  upon 

the  terminal  bud  of  the  young  cotton 
plants  until  the  forms  or  squares  de- 
velop, then  the  female  deposits  her 
eggs  in  the  squares  exclusively  at  first, 
but  later  may  deposit  them  in  the  bolls. 

5.  That  the  life  of  the  adult  weevil,    when 

supplied  with  food,  is  about  seventy 
days.  If  deprived  of  food  it  lives 
only  six  or  seven  days  except  in  hi- 
bernation. 

6.  For  a  period  after  emergence  from  winter 

quarters  it  is  comparatively  sluggish 
and  while  feeding  upon  the  cotton 
plant  may  be  picked  or  poisoned. 

7.  The   weevils   remain   in   the  field   where 

they  appear  in  the  early  spring  until 
they  become  very  numerous.  Their 
principal  period  of  migration  is  in  the 
fall. 

Based  upon  these  life  habits  of  the  weevil  Dr. 
S.  A.  Knapp,  Bureau  Plant  Industry,  U.  S. 


110     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

Department  of  Agriculture,  outlined  the  fol- 
lowing plan  for  the  production  of  cotton  under 
weevil  conditions: 

(1)  Under  boll- weevil  infestation   the  fields 
selected  for  cultivation  should  be  well  drained, 
because  a  successful  crop  will  then  depend  upon 
the  possibility  of  cultivating  them  at  the  proper 
time.     The    poorly    drained    lands    should    be 
devoted   to  other   crops.     They   have  always 
been  an  uncertain  factor  in  cotton  production. 
It   is    not   the   intention    to    state   that   well- 
drained  alluvial  lands  should  not  be  planted 
to  cotton. 

(2)  The    early    destruction    of    the     cotton 
stalks  before  frost  and  the  burning  of  all  rubbish 
in  and  about  the  infested  field  are  imperative. 

(3)  Break  the  field  deep  as  early  in  the  fall 
as  possible  with  an  implement  that  does  not 
bring  too  much  of  the  subsoil  to  the  surface. 
Some  winter  cover  crop   should  be  grown  if 
practicable;  if  not,  harrow  occasionally  during 
the  winter.     Before  planting,  thoroughly  pul- 
verize the  soil  and  make  the  best  seed  bed 
possible. 

(4)  Care  must  be  taken  to  secure  seed  of  an 
early-maturing    variety    and    of    the    highest 


SOME    COTTON    DISEASES  III 

vitality  —  not  necessarily  a  small-boll  variety, 
for  on  uplands  we  have  been  more  successful 
with  some  large-boll  varieties. 

(5)  Plant       reasonably       early.     Planting 
should  be  delayed  until  all  danger  from  frost 
is  past  and  the  soil  is  warm  enough  to  produce 
rapid  germination  and  growth. 

(6)  The  use  of  the  section  harrow  before 
planting  and  after  planting,  and  again  just  as 
soon  as  the  plants  are  well  up,  is  advised. 

(7)  Use  intensive,  shallow  cultivation  of  the 
crops  and  never  lay  by  the  cotton  till  picking 
commences.    Late  cultivation  is  very  important. 

(8)  In  case  it  is  evident  that  a  large  number 
of  weevils  have  been  overwintered,  it  is  advis- 
able to  hand-pick  the  early  appearing  weevils 
from  the  buds  of  young  cotton  plants  before 
squares  begin  to  form. 

(9)  As    soon    as    the   weevil    commences    to 
work,  as  evidenced  by  the  punctured  squares 
attach  a  pole  or  brush  to  the  handles  of  the 
cultivator    so    as    to    knock    the    squares    off. 
Most  of  them  will  fall  of  their  own  accord  in  a 
few  days  after  they  are  punctured. 

(10)  Persistently  pick  up  and  burn  the  fallen 
squares. 


112     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

This  battle  against  the  weevil  is  in  two  di- 
visions: 

The  first  division  of  the  work  consists  in 
reducing  the  number  of  weevils  just  as  much  as 
possible  so  that  a  crop  can  be  made. 

The  second  division  is  to  push  the  cotton 
plant  to  maturity  as  fast  as  possible  and  by 
extra  cultivation  and  fertilization  cause  it  to 
put  no  more  forms  or  squares  than  it  can  mature, 
so  that  what  the  weevil  takes  is  only  a  surplus 
—  of  no  consideration  in  making  the  crop. 

The  burning  of  the  stalks  is  very  destructive 
to  the  weevils  in  the  field,  but  its  value  depends 
considerably  on  when  and  how  it  is  done.  It 
must  be  done  early  and  before  frost.  Demon- 
strations have  been  made  showing  that  it 
caused  the  destruction  of  as  many  as  97  per 
cent,  of  the  weevils  if  done  early  and  properly, 
but  if  delayed  it  might  allow  as  many  as  45 
per  cent,  to  escape. 

There  are  several  methods  of  destroying  the 
stalks.  First,  every  third  or  fifth  row  may  be 
allowed  to  stand  and  the  rows  on  each  side 
uprooted  and  thrown  against  it.  Second,  all 
the  stalks  may  be  cut  and  thrown  into  piles 
of  convenient  size.  In  either  case,  some  of 


Effects  of  boll-weevil  attack  on  leaf  and  squares 

a,  Cotton  leaf  much  fed  upon  by  adult  weevils;  b,  square  with 
two  egg  punctures;  c,  flared  square  with  many  feeding  punctures;  d, 
square  prevented  from  blooming  by  puncture;  e,  bloom  injured  by 
feeding  puncture;  /,  poor  blooms  caused  by  feeding  punctures. 


Poisoning  cotton  by  pole  and  bag  method 
Poisoning  cotton  by  use  of  spray  pump 


SOME    COTTON    DISEASES  IIJ 

the  adult  weevils  will  collect  in  the  windrows 
or  piles  and  be  destroyed  when  the  stalks  are 
burned. 

Another  plan  practised  is  to  turn  cattle  in 
the  fields  to  eat  the  foliage  and  immature  bolls. 
This  plan,  however,  should  not  be  followed 
except  by  those  farmers  who  can  turn  in 
enough  cattle  to  completely  clean  up  the 
field  in  a  week's  time. 

The  object  in  destroying  the  stalks  is  a 
twofold  one:  (i)  To  deprive  the  adult  weevil 
of  food  and  breeding  places;  (2)  to  kill  the 
vast  numbers  of  weevil  eggs,  larvae,  and  pupae 
contained  in  the  squares  and  immature  bolls 
at  this  time.  To  make  this  destruction  com- 
plete, the  stalks  should  be  burned  as  soon  as 
possible  after  being  cut  and  piled.  As  soon 
as  the  foliage  will  burn  readily  fire  should  be 
applied,  although  the  main  stem  and  branches 
may  not  yet  be  dry  enough  to  burn.  All 
rubbish  in  and  about  the  field  should  also  be 
burned  and  the  field  immediately  broken. 

If  this  single  instruction  to  destroy  all  cotton 
stalks  in  the  fall  while  still  green  could  be 
carried  out  by  every  grower,  it  would  practically 
solve  the  weevil  problem.  The  difficulty  is 


114     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

that  only  part  of  the  growers  follow  the  plan. 
It  requires  early  maturing  cottons  and  rapid 
gathering  to  get  the  crop  out  in  time  to  do  this 
work  to  the  best  advantage. 

If  delay  is  made  until  after  a  heavy  frost  and 
a  large  number  of  the  weevils  have  escaped  from 
the  field,  either  to  hibernate  or  to  go  elsewhere 
then  to  cut  and  burn  stalks  may  be  of  little 
value,  and  the  better  practice  is  to  thoroughly 
cut  the  stalks  and  plow  them  under. 

It  is  seldom  practicable  for  farmers  in  the 
northern  portion  of  the  cotton  belt  to  cut  and 
burn  stalks  early  enough  to  be  of  value. 

The  next  most  important  work  in  eliminating 
the  weevils  is  in  the  spring,  when  the  cotton 
plants  begin  to  put  on  squares  and  the  infesting 
weevil  punctures  them.  The  grower  should 
take  note  of  this  and  immediately  attach  a 
pole  to  the  handles  of  the  cultivator  so  as  to 
knock  the  bush  and  hasten  the  falling  off  of 
the  squares,  and  then  the  squares  must  be 
carefully  picked  up  and  burned.  In  one  sense 
this  picking  up  of  squares  goes  to  the  root  of 
the  matter  more  than  early  fall  destruction  of 
the  stalk,  because  in  the  fall  destruction  only 
a  small  percentage  of  the  weevils  would  live 


SOME    COTTON    DISEASES  IIJ 

through  the  winter  anyway,  while  we  can 
rest  assured  that  practically  every  square  not 
picked  up  and  destroyed,  at  least  in  cloudy 
weather,  will  result  in  furnishing  a  boll  weevil 
to  infest  the  crop.  We  know  of  hundreds  of 
instances  where  fields  were  located  in  the  best 
situation  for  weevil  depredation,  on  bottom 
lands  surrounded  by  heavy  timber,  with  a 
rank  growth  of  cotton  and  no  previous  prepara- 
tion or  burning  of  the  stalks  or  destruction  of 
the  rubbish,  and  yet  by  picking  up  the  squares 
and  intensive  cultivation  a  large  crop  of  cotton 
was  made.  If  care  is  taken  that  every  punc- 
tured square  is  destroyed,  a  whole  generation 
of  weevils  will  be  wiped  out  in  two  or  three 
weeks.  The  old  weevils  will  die  and  we  can 
go  right  on  making  the  crop.  Of  course,  in 
sections  where  there  is  very  slight  rainfall  and 
on  sandy  upland  soils  anywhere  during  periods 
of  dry  and  very  hot  weather,  dependence  may 
be  placed  on  the  heat  to  kill  the  weevil  larvae 
in  the  squares. 

It  will  seldom  be  safe  to  depend  on  this  on 
alluvial  soils  and  never  on  any  kind  of  soil 
except  under  the  conditions  of  drought  and 
heat  above  noted. 


Il6     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

We  therefore  wish  to  emphasize  the  two 
points,  the  early  destruction  of  the  stalks  in  the 
fall  and  the  picking  up  and  burning  of  the 
squares,  as  of  primary  importance  in  making  a 
successful  crop  of  cotton.  The  early  destruc- 
tion of  stalks  in  the  fall  has  a  double  advantage. 
It  not  only  kills  a  vast  number  of  the  weevils, 
but  it  destroys  all  their  supply  of  food  so  that 
such  as  are  not  killed  by  fire  mostly  perish  for 
lack  of  food  before  winter. 

The  crop  must  be  worked  regularly  and  the 
period  of  cultivation  extended  until  the  early 
maturing  bolls  begin  opening.  It  has  been 
found  by  actual  experience  that  a  profitable 
crop  may  be  made  under  the  heaviest  infesta- 
tion of  the  boll  weevil  if  the  weather  is  fairly 
seasonable,  that  is,  if  there  is  not  too  much  rain. 
It  is  utterly  impossible  for  the  farmer  to  make  a 
profitable  crop  of  cotton  with  the  boll  weevil 
present  under  the  old  system  of  farming.  The 
system  of  farming  has  been  materially  changed 
in  every  section  where  the  weevil  has  yet 
appeared.  The  people  have  been  forced  to 
abandon  the  all-cotton  system  and  to  adopt  the 
method  that  will  enable  them  to  produce  all  of 
the  home  supplies.  The  first  few  years  have 


SOME    COTTON   DISEASES 


117 


usually  brought  about  a  demoralization  of 
conditions,  which  almost  ruins  business  in  the 
community.  After  the  third  year,  the  people 
begin  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  changed 
conditions  and  it  is  frequently  the  case  that  in 
four  or  five  years  after  the  weevil  has  en- 
tered a  section  the  people  are  in  really  better 
financial  condition  in  every  respect  than  they 
were  before  the  weevil  came. 

Other  Cotton  Insect  Enemies.  —  Other  insect 
enemies  of  the  cotton  plant  are  the  red  spider, 
the  plant  louse  or  aphis,  and  the  cut  worm. 
The  damage  from  these  is  never  very  serious 
and  is  always  confined  to  local  territory. 


COTTON  BOLL  WEEVIL 

a.  Beetle  from  above;  b.  same,  from  side  (five  times  natural  size). 
Note  the  two  tooth-like  projections  on  the  inner  side  of  first  joint  of 
the  front  legs. 


Harvesting  and  Marketing  Cotton 


CHAPTER    IX 

HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  COTTON 

UNDER  harvesting  comes  cotton  picking, 
ginning,  and  baling.  Picking  is  the 
most  expensive  item  in  the  production 
of  the  crop.  No  machine  has  yet  been  per- 
fected that  will  satisfactorily  do  this  work,  and 
it  must  necessarily  be  performed  by  hand.  The 
prices  for  picking  cotton  range  from  thirty-five 
cents  to  a  dollar  per  hundred  pounds  of  seed  cot- 
ton, varying  with  the  localities  and  the  season  in 
which  the  picking  is  done.  Hence,  the  cost  of 
picking  a  bale  of  1500  pounds  of  seed  cotton 
ranges  from  $5.25  to  $15.  Picking  begins  usu- 
ally in  the  latter  part  of  August  and  extends  to 
the  first  of  December,  and  in  some  instances  to 
the  first  of  January.  At  least  three  pickings 
should  be  made  to  gather  crop  in  the  best 
condition.  The  heaviest  picking  comes  in 
October.  One  man  can  cultivate  from  twenty 
to  thirty  acres  of  cotton  very  readily,  but  it 

121 


122     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

will  take  four  to  five  good  pickers  to  gather  the 
crop  fast  enough  to  keep  it  from  being  damaged 
by  the  weather.  An  experienced  picker  can 
pick  from  150  to  200  pounds  per  day.  The 
average,  however,  is  much  less  than  this. 
Under  favorable  conditions  and  with  some 
special  inducements,  a  few  pickers  have  gone 
as  high  as  four  or  five  hundred  pounds  a  day. 
Cotton  is  seldom  gathered  under  the  most 
favorable  conditions.  It  should  be  picked  as 
soon  as  enough  bolls  open  to  justify  going  over 
the  field.  From  three  to  five  bolls  per  stalk 
make  a  fairly  good  picking.  If  the  crop  is 
kept  up  with  closely  and  never  allowed  to  take 
the  weather,  the  standard  of  the  grades  is  much 
higher  and  commands  better  prices.  Fre- 
quently, faulty,  yellow  locks,  or  dirty  cotton  is 
picked  and  thrown  in  with  the  good.  A  few 
bolls  of  this  damaged  cotton  will  injure  the 
grade  of  the  entire  bale  and  lessen  the  value 
from  one  half  to  one  and  one  half  cents  per 
pound.  Cotton  should  not  be  picked  when  too 
green  as  the  lint  continues  to  grow  and  mature 
until  the  seed  have  fully  dried  out.  Cotton 
that  is  blown  out  on  the  ground  and  damaged 
by  dirt,  if  picked  should  be  put  in  separate 


HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  COTTON     123 

bags  and  ginned  separately.  This  will  insure 
not  getting  mixed  cotton  in  the  bales.  The 
exercise  of  more  care  in  this  direction  would 
result  in  an  annual  saving  of  many  thousands  of 
dollars  to  the  farmers  of  the  South.  Until 
recent  years  the  common  practice  was  to 
pick  almost  the  entire  crop  and  store  it  in  the 
house  for  several  weeks  and  haul  it  to  the  gin 
after  the  rush  of  picking  season  was  over. 
In  many  respects  this  custom  was  a  good  one 
from  the  fact  that  it  allowed  the  cotton  to  ripen 
up  and  become  thoroughly  dry,  thus  improving 
the  staple.  It  is  true  that  there  is  some  loss  in 
the  weight  of  the  seed,  but  this  is  more  than 
made  up  by  the  increased  price  from  the  im- 
proved quality  of  the  cotton. 

There  have  been  many  machines  patented 
for  the  mechanical  harvesting  of  the  cotton 
crop,  none  of  which  have  as  yet  been  entirely 
satisfactory.  It  is  possible  that  a  machine  may 
be  perfected  that  will  harvest  the  crop  on  fields 
favorably  situated;  but  on  small  farms  and 
rough  lands  it  is  doubtful  whether  it  will 
be  practicable  to  ever  use  mechanical  contriv- 
ances for  gathering  the  crop.  A  light  ma- 
chine, of  moderate  cost,  adjustable  to  small 


124     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

farm  conditions,  would  go  far  toward  solving 
the  harvesting  problem.  With  a  successful 
mechanical  picker  the  cotton  acreage  could  be 
enormously  increased  and  the  whole  system 
placed  on  a  changed  economic  basis. 

Ginning.  —  The  second  process  in  harvesting 
cotton  is  the  ginning  or  separation  of  the  lint 
from  the  seed.  In  the  early  days  of  cotton 
ginning  in  this  country  this  was  done  by  hand, 
a  man  separating  from  the  seed  about  one 
pound  of  lint  per  day.  The  cotton  gin  was 
invented  in  1792  and  since  then  has  been  so 
perfected  as  to  entirely  revolutionize  the 
cotton  industry  and  make  it  one  of  the  greatest 
in  the  world.  The  modern  seventy-saw  gin 
stand  will  gin  from  ten  to  fifteen  bales  a  day. 
In  big  ginneries  several  stands  are  connected, 
all  arranged  for  conveying  the  lint  to  the  same 
press.  The  lint  is  carried  by  conveyors  from 
the  gin  stand  to  the  press,  where  it  is  packed  into 
bales,  varying  in  weight  from  300  to  600  pounds. 
The  average  commercial  bale  is  rated  at  500 
pounds.  . 

These  big  plants  take  care  of  the  crop  for  a 
considerable  territory.  The  saw  gin  is  used 
for  the  short  and  medium  staple  cottons. 


HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  COTTON     125 

When  long  staple  cotton  is  ginned  on  the  saw 
gin  it  should  be  run  at  a  low  speed,  not  over 
300  to  400  revolutions  a  minute.  It  is  a  very 
common  practice  to  run  a  gin  too  fast  and  to 
injure  the  staple  of  any  kind  of  cotton.  This 
is  especially  true  in  the  busy  season,  when  the 
ginning  plants  are  more  or  less  crowded.  For 
ginning  very  long  staples,  such  as  Sea  Island, 
what  is  known  as  a  roller  gin  is  used.  This  is 
done  to  prevent  cutting  the  fiber,  which  may 
occur  with  the  saw  gin. 

Before  shipment  to  distant  markets,  the 
bale  is  compressed  to  one  half  its  size.  The 
round  bale  is  compressed  at  the  gin.  The 
square  bales  are  covered  with  what  is  known  as 
bagging,  which  is  made  of  jute  in  most  cases 
and  is  usually  a  very  poor  covering.  The 
bale  is  bound  by  six  steel  ties.  The  average 
American  cotton  bale  presents  a  very  ragged 
appearance.  Some  sections  are  using  bet- 
ter coverings  for  their  cotton  bales,  and  especi- 
ally is  this  true  where  the  round  bale  press  is 
used.  The  round  bale  is  a  much  neater 
package,  and  is  completely  protected  from 
damage  by  handling,  dirt,  or  weather.  The 
farmer  should  demand  a  better  wrapping  for 


126     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

his  cotton,  requiring  the  ginner  to  completely 
cover  the  bale.  The  round  bale  is  perhaps  the 
most  satisfactory  way  of  putting  up  cotton. 
This  method  has  never  been  popular  for  various 
reasons:  mainly  from  the  fact  that  there  is  so 
much  money  invested  in  the  old  style  press 
and  compress  that  it  is  difficult  for  the  round 
bale  companies  to  compete  with  the  old  con- 
cerns. Thousands  of  dollars  can  be  saved 
for  the  cotton  states  by  a  better  method  of 
packing,  wrapping,  and  handling  the  crop. 

Much  loss  is  sustained  by  allowing  the  bales 
to  be  exposed  to  the  weather  after  ginning. 
The  cotton  bale,  when  exposed  to  the  weather, 
absorbs  moisture,  and  the  outer  edges  of  the 
bales  will-  become  discolored  and  the  grade 
injured  The  poor  covering  now  used  on  the 
American  cotton  bale  is  usually  torn  off  by 
rough  handling  before  reaching  the  mills. 
This  allows  the  outside  of  the  bale  to  become 
dirty,  thus  lowering  the  grade  of  the  outer 
portion  of  the  bale. 

Marketing.  —  The  common  practice  on  the 
small  farm  is  to  haul  the  cotton  bales  directly 
to  the  warehouse  or  small  town  market  and  sell 
to  the  local  merchant.  This  system,  perhaps, 


HARVESTING    AND    MARKETING    COTTON    127 

has  some  advantages,  but  there  is  much  room 
for  improvement.  There  should  be  some  uni- 
form system  of  grading  and  storing  cotton  in 
warehouses  until  a  sufficient  amount  is  collected 
to  justify  the  large  buyer  to  classify  and  bid  on 
the  entire  lot.  The  average  farmer  and  local 
merchant  know  but  little  about  grading  cotton, 
consequently,  nearly  all  the  cotton  in  smaller 
markets  is  sold  at  about  the  same  price,  re- 
gardless of  staple  or  grade. 

The  following  table  shows  the  official  classi- 
fication of  cotton  grades  established  by  the 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Department 
of  Agriculture,  with  the  approximate  difference 
in  value  per  pound  between  grades: 

Middling  fair      ....  ic  above  middling 

Strict  good  middling     .      .  fc      "          " 

Good  middling    ....  ftc      " 

Strict  middling         ...  ic      "          " 

Middling        .....  Basis 

Strict  low  middling       .      .  ic  below  middling 

Low  middling      ....  *  to  f  c      " 

Strict  good  ordinary      .      .  £  to  ic      " 

Good  ordinary    ....      lA  to  lAc      " 


Mr.  D.  E.  Earle,  expert  in  cotton  grading, 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  an  address 


128     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

before  the  South  Carolina  Farmers'  Institute, 
spoke  as  follows  about  the  work  of  cotton 
standardization  of  the  department: 

"The  official  cotton  grades  have  met  with 
the  approval  of  most  of  the  Southern  cotton 
exchanges  and  have  been  formally  adopted  at 
the  following  places : 

"New  Orleans,  Memphis,  St.  Louis,  Little 
Rock,  Natchez,  Mobile,  Macon,  Galveston, 
and  Charleston. 

"The  New  England,  the  Texas,  and  also 
the  Southern  Cotton  Buyers'  Association  have 
agreed  to  make  the  official  grades  the  basis 
of  their  operations. 

"For  any  grower  who  desires  the  grades  and 
feels  that  he  cannot  afford  a  complete  set, 
the  Department  has  arranged  to  fill  orders 
for  any  three  grades.  Low  middling,  middling, 
and  good  middling,  for  instance,  usually  cover 
the  bulk  of  the  crop  and  for  white  cotton  these 
three  boxes  would  indicate  the  grade  fairly 
close. 

"The  price  of  the  nine  official  cotton  grades 
has  been  reduced  from  $30  to  $25,  and  the 
price  of  the  fractional  sets  have  been  reduced 
to  $9  that  is,  $3  per  box  or  grade." 


1.  A  farmer  comparing  his  cotton  with  the  Government 
standard  grades  in  a  Farmers'   Union  warehouse 

2.  Round  bales  showing  (in  centre)  method  of  opening. 

3.  Gin-compressed  bales  on  a   Mississippi  plantation 

ready  for  shipment  to  Germany 


8 


I 


r 


o 
,0 


O 


HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  COTTON     129 

If  some  working  system  of  warehouses  could 
be  organized  and  maintained  on  a  business 
basis,  it  would  perhaps  be  the  most  economi- 
cal way  of  handling  the  cotton  crop.  Mana- 
gers of  these  houses  could  collect  and  classify 
cotton  and  sell  direct  to  the  large  buyer.  This 
would  enable  the  manufacturer  to  pay  more 
on  an  average  for  cotton,  since  he  is  thus  assured 
of  getting  large  quantities  of  a  product  uniform 
in  grade. 

The  custom  of  holding  cotton  for  a  bet- 
ter price,  in  the  meantime  leaving  it  out 
of  doors  and  unprotected,  is  not  profit- 
able. The  actual  damage  to  the  cotton  is 
often  greater  than  any  increase  in  price  that 
may  be  obtained. 

The  old  custom  of  marketing  the  cotton  crop 
through  the  commission  merchants  has  almost 
been  discontinued.  This  method  always  placed 
the  farmer  at  the  mercy  of  the  buyer,  and  by 
the  time  commission,  storage,  insurance,  and 
other  fixed  charges  were  deducted,  less  was 
realized  for  the  cotton  than  if  it  had  been  sold 
in  the  local  market. 

In  some  places  the  farmers  market  their 
cotton  by  selling  in  the  seed  to  the  public  ginner, 


I3O     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

instead  of  having  the  crop  ginned  at  so  much 
cash  per  bale.  The  usual  cash  price  for  ginning 
and  covering  in  recent  years  has  ranged  from 
$2.50  to  $3.50  per  bale.  Selling  seed  cotton  is 
a  bad  practice  from  the  farmer's  standpoint. 
It  puts  the  farmer  at  a  disadvantage  since  the 
price  is  based  on  a  certain  grade,  and  no  al- 
lowance is  made  for  advance  in  prices  or  for 
premiums  pn  better  grades. 

A  mutual  agreement  on  some  improved 
method  of  marketing  the  cotton  crop  would  be 
beneficial  alike  to  producer  and  spinner.  Such 
a  system  would  tend  to  prevent  violent  fluctua- 
tion in  prices.  This  reform  can  only  be  brought 
about  by  a  closer  understanding  between  grower 
and  spinner.  The  multiplicity  of  middlemen 
has  become  an  immense  burden,  not  only  in 
the  cotton  business  but  in  the  handling  of 
all  farm  crops. 

In  the  past  the  entire  crop  has  been  thrown 
upon  the  market  in  three  or  four  months,  when 
it  should  have  been  distributed  throughout 
the  year.  The  high  price  of  cotton  in  recent 
years  has  bettered  the  financial  condition  of 
the  Southern  cotton  grower  to  such  an  extent 
that  in  the  future  the  crop  can  be  held  and 


HARVESTING  AND  MARKETING  COTTON 

marketed  through  the  year.  This  should  result 
in  a  more  equitable  adjustment  of  values 
between  all  parties  concerned,  and  at  the 
same  time  eliminate  the  drain  in  the  form 
of  fixed  charges  that  exist  under  the  present 
system. 


Cost  of  Cotton  Production 


CHAPTER    X 

COST    OF    COTTON    PRODUCTION 

ONE  of  the  hardest  problems  for  the  cot- 
ton farmer  to  solve  with  any  degree  of 
accuracy  is  cost  of  production.  There 
are  so  many  factors  to  be  dealt  with  which  are 
beyond  man's  control  that  no  real  basis  for  esti- 
mating the  cost  of  the  year's  operations  can  be 
made.  In  nearly  every  other  business  there  are 
some  known  quantities  upon  which  to  base  cal- 
culations. To  the  farmer  nothing  is  absolutely 
sure,  especially  is  this  true  with  the  cotton 
farmer.  Climatic  conditions  perhaps  mean 
more  to  him  than  to  any  one.  The  returns 
for  his  year's  labor  must  of  necessity  depend 
upon  the  caprice  of  the  rain,  the  wind,  the 
frost  or  the  depredation  of  numerous  insect 
pests.  Any  one  or  all  of  these  may  in  a  very 
short  period  turn  a  flattering  prospect  for  a 
bountiful  crop  into  almost  a  complete  failure. 
We  may  take  the  statistics  showing  total 


136     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

production  of  the  cotton  or  the  yield  per  acre 
for  a  series  of  years  and  the  variations  or 
fluctuations  will  be  quite  noticeable.  These 
rather  wide  differences  are  due  largely  to 
causes  over  which  the  farmer  has  no  control. 
The  same  general  plan  of  crop  management  on 
the  same  land  with  the  same  amount  of  fertil- 
izer, teams,  and  labor  may  have  been  used 
each  year  and  still  the  yields  vary  a  great  deal. 
The  total  crop  production  on  the  same  acreage 
with  practically  the  same  expenses  frequently 
varies  as  much  as  25  per  cent,  in  two  successive 
seasons.  These  extreme  fluctuations  make  a 
wide  margin  between  the  cost  of  production  and 
the  selling  price  necessary  for  the  farmer  to 
come  out  with  an  average  profit  in  the  crop. 
The  elements  of  uncertainty  which  enter  into 
the  production  of  every  crop,  make  it  impossible 
to  estimate  the  cost. 

The  business  man  or  the  manufacturer  can 
figure  with  some  degree  of  certainty  as  to  what 
his  running  expenses  will  be.  He  can  also 
make  a  pretty  close  estimate  of  what  the  out- 
put of  his  factory  or  business  will  reach  during 
the  year.  It  often  happens  that  the  manu- 
facturer knows  just  what  he  is  to  receive  for  his 


ARD 


Transverse  section  of  a  cotton  gin 


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Pi 

I 

bO 


O 

-s 


COST  OF  COTTON  PRODUCTION    137 

products  before  they  are  made.  At  all  events 
there  is  not  the  degree  of  uncertainty  about  it 
that  the  farmer  has  to  meet. 

We  have  mentioned  some  of  the  natural 
causes  or  climatic  conditions  which  may  cause 
wide  variations  in  yields  and  profits,  but 
the  farmer  himself  must  be  taken  into  account 
as  one  of  the  greatest  factors.  One  man  can 
manage  his  cotton  farm  so  as  to  make  handsome 
profit,  while  another  under  the  same  natural 
surroundings,  but  with  a  less  degree  of  business 
ability,  agricultural  knowledge,  or  industry, 
would  produce  the  crop  at  a  net  loss. 

To  get  out  of  cotton  farming  under  the  new 
order  of  things  more  than  a  mere  existence  a 
man  must  use  brains  and  incessant  industry 
along  with  his  physical  labor.  The  days  of 
profitable  farming  along  the  old  trodden  paths 
are  numbered.  By  this  we  do  not  mean  that 
there  is  no  place  for  cotton  on  the  small  farm, 
for,  if  properly  managed,  there  is  a  possibility 
of  greater  profits  than  on  the  larger  farms. 
The  ordinary  methods  followed  on  both  the 
one-horse  and  the  larger  farms  must  give  way 
to  more  up-to-date  management.  Under  a  dif- 
ferent system  two  horses  can  be  used  profit- 


138     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

ably  'where  one  has  been  deemed  sufficient 
before.  The  plan  of  crops  can  be  changed  so 
as  to  furnish  labor  for  team  and  help  for  a 
longer  period  than  where  cotton  alone  is  grown. 
At  the  same  time  the  better  teams  and  imple- 
ments will  easily  double  the  yield  which 
would  give  as  much  cotton  as  before,  and  allow 
half  the  land  for  other  purposes. 

To  break  the  land  properly,  to  do  the  hauling 
and  cultivation  at  least  expense,  two  horses 
or  mules  are  necessary  on  any  farm.  The 
all-cotton  system  of  farming  was  never  really 
successful  under  any  conditions.  Statistics 
from  any  section  of  the  cotton  territory,  whether 
taken  for  the  present  or  fifty  years  ago,  will 
show  that  the  only  farmer  who  had  money  to 
lend  and  supplies  to  furnish  the  entire  farm  was 
the  man  who  did  not  grow  all  cotton.  The 
actual  time  devoted  to  making  and  gathering 
the  crop  on  an  all-cotton  farm  is  not  more  than 
six  months.  This  leaves  hands  and  teams 
practically  idle  for  the  other  six  months.  The 
expenses  for  subsistence  for  both  labor  and 
teams  for  this  idle  period  must  be  about  the 
same  that  it  is  for  the  other  six  months,  but 
unless  there  is  some  profitable  labor  furnished 


COST  OF  COTTON  PRODUCTION    139 

them  during  this  time,  this  additional  expense 
must  necessarily  be  taken  from  the  proceeds 
of  the  cotton  crop.  Such  management  as 
this  accounts  for  the  higher  cost  of  cotton  pro- 
duction. Under  a  better  planned  system  just  as 
much  cotton  can  be  grown  and,  besides,  all  the 
foodstuff  necessary  for  the  labor  and  the  teams. 
Cotton  farmers  often  claim  that  it  is  more 
economical  to  grow  cotton  exclusively  and 
buy  all  the  supplies  for  the  farm.  Practical 
experience  and  close  observations  and  inquiry 
into  the  subject  do  not  confirm  the  correctness 
of  their  claims.  Even  at  the  rather  phenom- 
enally high  price  of  cotton  for  the  past  few  years, 
the  man  who  actually  grew  it  made  little  clear 
profit  unless  he  also  grew  his  supplies.  The 
landlord  who  furnished  the  land  at  high  rentals 
and  supplied  his  tenants  at  enormous  credit 
prices,  no  doubt  gets  big  profit  from  the  all- 
cotton  method,  especially  in  the  good  years. 
The  small  farmer  and  tenant  has  not  nor  will 
he  ever  be  able  to  get  much  more  than  a  poor 
living  out  of  cotton  farming,  when  he  buys 
everything  else  used  on  the  farm  from  the 
proceeds  of  the  crop.  It  is  difficult  for  a  man 
who  has  been  accustomed  to  figure  expenses, 


I4O     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

incomes,  and  profits  in  an  ordinary  business 
to  realize  why  the  same  methods  of  accounting 
cannot  be  applied  to  farm  operations.  The 
elements  of  risk  and  uncertainty  met  on  the 
farm  due  to  natural  causes  over  which  man  has 
little  control,  but  which  so  greatly  effects 
expenses  and  yields,  are  lost  sight  of  in  making 
calculations.  Here  is  where  so  many  who  know 
nothing  of  the  practical  side  of  farming  are 
led  into  trouble.  Certain  fixed  expenses  and  the 
climatic  changes  are  left  out  of  the  calculations. 
The  following  is  given  as  an  example  which 
serves  to  illustrate  the  differences  in  good  and 
poor  farming.  The  first  column  represents 
results  from  good  farming  on  fair  land  with 
good  teams  and  tools,  allowing  a  yield  of 
1,500  pounds  seed  cotton  per  acre.  The  second 
column  is  the  results  from  ordinary  farming  on 
average  cotton  lands  with  insufficient  teams  and 
tools.  Yield  per  acre  600  pounds  of  seed  cotton : 

Good  Poor 

Chopping  stalks $  .50  $  .50 

Breaking  land i.oo  1.50 

Harrowing .50  .50 

Opening  furrows  and  distributing  fer- 
tilizer          .      .  .50  i.oo 

Bedding  and  harrowing  for  planting  .  .75  1.50 


COST   OF   COTTON    PRODUCTION 

Good  Poor 

Planting 25  .75 

Chopping  and  hoeing i.oo  1.50 

Cultivation 5.00  4- 50 

Fertilizer 4.00  3.00 

Seed  (for  planting) 50  .25 

Picking 9.00  3.60 

Ginning  and  baling 3.00  1.20 

Hauling  to  gin  and  to  market  .      .     #1.50  $     .60 

Rent  of  land     .      .      ..      .      .      .         5.00  3.00 

£32.50  $23.40 

Less  value  of  seed  @  $i 8  per  ton.      .         9.00  3.60 

$23.50  $19.80 

Sale  of  lint  @  10  cents         .      .      .     $50.00  $20.00 

Net  profit 26.50  .20 

Cost  per  pound .047  .099 


These  figures  dp  not  allow  anything  for  wear 
and  tear  on  teams  and  implements  nor  is  there 
anything  accounted  for  supervision.  There  are 
several  other  legitimate  expenses  which  must 
be  made  which  would  add  to  the  total  cost. 
Unless  the  labor  and  teams  are  profitably 
employed  during  the  period  when  they  are  not 
needed  for  the  cotton  crop  the  cost  of  subsist- 
ence must  be  added  as  an  additional  item. 
Some  of  the  items  might  be  reduced  by  excep- 
tional management.  For  instance,  the  fertil- 


142     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

izers  can  be  reduced  by  a  saving  of  farm  manures 
and  rotation  of  crops.  The  cost  of  food  and 
farm  supplies  could  possibly  be  reduced,  if 
grown  intelligently  on  the  farm.  A  fair  profit 
may  be  expected  under  average  conditions 
where  the  crop  is  produced  upon  a  cash  basis 
and  where  a  reasonable  degree  of  knowledge 
is  used  in  producing  it. 


Equipment  in  Teams  and  Tools  for  Cotton 
Farms 


CHAPTER  XI 

EQUIPMENT  IN  TEAMS  AND  TOOLS  FOR  COTTON 
FARMS 

LABOR-SAVING  machinery  plays  an 
important  part  in  the  economy  of  pro- 
duction of  any  crop.  As  liberal  an 
assortment  of  labor-saving  tools  is  required  in 
cotton  farming  as  in  any  other  type  of  farming. 
The  principal  difference  in  the  equipment  for  a 
large  or  a  small  cotton  farm,  under  the  old  one 
crop  system,  was  mainly  in  the  number  of  tools 
rather  than  in  the  kind.  The  cotton  farmer 
has  been  slow  in  bringing  to  his  aid  labor- 
saving  implements  in  the  production  of  crops. 
This  has  been  partly  due  to  the  fact  that  such 
a  large  per  cent,  of  farm  labor  in  the  cotton 
belt  was  uneducated  and  unskilled  in  the  use 
of  machinery,  and  partly  due  to  the  fact  that 
one  man,  under  the  one  crop  system  of  cotton 
farming,  could,  with  one  horse  and  with  small 
one-horse  plows  or  cultivators,  produce  as 
145 


146     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

much  cotton  as  three  or  four  laborers  could 
harvest. 

On  a  i6o-acre  cotton  farm,  where  one  third 
of  the  area  is  devoted  to  corn  and  two  thirds 
to  cotton,  the  ordinary  equipment  in  the  past 
has  consisted  mainly  of  the  one-horse,  seven- 
inch  moldboard  plow;  the  small  Georgia  plow 
stock  with  sweep  and  shovel  attachments; 
a  one-horse  cotton  planter;  the  14-tooth  V-- 
shaped harrow,  and  the  hoe.  The  entire 
equipment  for  a  i6o-acre  farm,  under  the  old 
system,  has  been  about  as  follows: 

8  mules @  £150.00  =   £1,200 

8  7-inch  moldboard  plows  .           @  7 .  oo  —  56 
8  i-horse  plow  stocks,  with  sweep 

and  shovel  attachments       .     @  4.00  =  32 

8  V-shaped  spiketooth  harrows    @  4.00  =  32 

4  i-horse  cotton  planters  .           @  5.00  —  20 

24  hoes @  .50  —  12 

i  farm  wagon @  60 

I  set  of  double  wagon  harness  30 

8  sets  single  plow  harness.           @  5.00  —  40 

i  set  of  repair  tools      ....  10 

Total        ,  £1,492 

The  cotton  farmer  is  beginning  to  diversify 
his  crops  and  is  rapidly  discarding  light  mules 
and  one-horse  implements  for  heavier  teams 


Ordinary  equipment  of  implements  on  a  one-horse  cotton 
farm 

Ordinary  equipment  of  implements  on  a  two-horse  cotton 
farm 


n 

1 


EQUIPMENT  IN  TEAMS  AND  TOOLS       147 

and  improved  farm  machinery.  The  two, 
three,  and  four  horse  breaking  plows,  the  sulky 
cultivator,  disk  harrow,  section  harrow,  the 
weeder  and  the  mower  are  fast  coming  into 
use  on  the  cotton  farms. 

The  mule  has  been  the  principal  work  animai 
on  the  cotton  farm  in  the  past.  In  recent 
years  many  progressive  farmers  have  substi- 
tuted heavy  draft  mares  in  the  place  of  mules 
and  have  found  them  just  as  satisfactory  as 
the  mule  except  for  the  very  rough  work. 
These  mares  will  do  any  ordinary  farm  work 
and  will  raise  a  valuable  colt  each  year. 

The  necessary  equipment  in  teams  and  tools 
for  a  i6o-acre  cotton  farm,  where  one  fourth  of 
the  area  is  devoted  to  pasture,  one  fourth  to 
cotton,  one  fourth  to  corn  and  one  fourth  to 
small  grain  and  hay,  is  as  follows: 

2  mules  .........  @$200  =    $  400 

4  mares  .     .     .     .     .....     *  @  200  =        800 

i  farm  wagon 60 

1  mower  and  rake 60 

2  combination  planters     .      .      .      .  @     15  =          30 

3  12-inch  moldboard  plows   .      .      .  @     12  =          36 
I  24-inch  disk  breaking  plow     .      -.  35 

1  2O-inch  8  disk,  disk  harrow     .      .  25 

2  riding  sulky  cultivators  .     @     35  =          70 


148     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

1  section  harrow $25 

4  springtooth  cultivators  @,       5  =           20 

2  one-horse,  5-shovel,  cultivators  @     12  —           24 

i  set  of  repair  tools 25 

Extra  small  tools 25 

I  reaper  and  binder 150 

3  sets  double  harness        ....  @     30  —          90 
i  manure  spreader 125 

Total £2,000 

Dr.  S.  A.  Knapp,  of  the  U.  S.  Department  of 
Agriculture,  estimated  that  there  is  a  possible 
increase  of  30x5  per  cent,  in  the  productive  power 
of  the  farm  laborer  in  the  average  Southern 
state  by  the  use  of  more  and  better  teams  and 
farm  machinery. 


Cotton  By-Products 


CHAPTER  XII 

COTTON     BY-PRODUCTS 

SCARCELY  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury ago  cotton  seed,  the  chief  by-product 
of  the  cotton  crop,  was  considered  worth- 
less except  for  planting  purposes.     A  common 
practice  among  the  ginners  and  large  planters 
was  to  dump  the  seed  into  waste  places,  into 
the  streams  or  anywhere  to  get  them  out  of  the 
way.     Contamination  of  the  water  supply  in 
the  streams  and    the   odor  given  off    by   the 
decomposition  of  the  seed  became  a  nuisance, 
and  in  some  places   steps  were   taken  by  the 
health    authorities    to    prescribe    the    manner 
of  disposing  of  them.     The  planters  as  well  as 
the  country  in  general  little  realized  the  immense 
value  of  the  seed  as  a  fertilizer  and  stock  feed. 
History  of  the  Oil  Mill.  —  The  first  manu- 
facture of  cotton  seed  products  on  a  commercial 
scale  did  not  begin  in  the  United  States  but 
in   England   where   no   cotton   is   grown.     In 
151 


152     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

1870  that  country  had  an  annual  crush  of 
about  200,000  tons  and  was  leading  the  world 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton  seed  products. 
All  of  this  supply  had  to  be  shipped  across  the 
ocean  and  there  was  much  loss  from  the  seed 
heating  and  decomposing  in  transit;  so  it  was 
not  long  before  it  was  found  necessary  to 
move  the  manufacturing  industry  nearer  to 
the  field  of  production. 

The  increased  uses  made  of  the  seed  prod- 
ucts and  the  difficulty  of  getting  the  seed  to 
the  foreign  mills  in  good  shape  led  to  the 
establishment  of  a  great  milling  industry  in  the 
United  States.  The  annual  consumption  by 
American  oil  mills  is  now  more  than  4,000,000 
tons.  The  first  cotton  seed  oil  mills  were  built 
in  the  United  States  in  1840.  As  late  as  1860 
there  were  only  seven.  In  1910  this  number 
had  been  increased  to  841.  The  number  of 
laborers  employed  in  oil  mills  increased  from 
12,600  in  1899  to  more  than  22,000  in  1910. 
The  total  value  of  the  seed  delivered  at  the 
mills  in  1910  was  about  $142,710,000,  an  increase 
of  more  than  $100,000,000  over  1899.  In  1910 
the  average  cost  per  ton  of  seed  was  $27.40, 
more  than  2§  times  that  of  1899.  The  total 


COTTON    BY-PRODUCTS  153 

value  of  the  products  manufactured  from  the 
seed  in  1910  amounted  to  $152,710,000  as 
compared  with  $46,100,000  in  1899.  This 
large  rise  in  value  was  brought  about  by  the 
increased  consumption  of  mill  products,  and 
is  shared  by  every  state  which  grows  cotton. 
The  value  of  the  products  manufactured  from 
a  ton  of  seed  in  1899  was  $17.75  an<^  tnat 
of  1910  was  $32.50.  The  total  value  of  oil 
mill  products  in  1910  was  as  follows:  oil, 
$80,430,000;  meal  and  cake,  $44,660,000;  hull, 
$11,370,000;  and  linters,  $6,250,000. 

There  has  been  considerable  fluctuation 
in  the  price  of  seed  from  the  beginning.  This 
is  due  largely  to  the  fluctuations  in  the  price 
of  the  articles  with  which  the  products  come  in 
competition.  For  instance,  the  price  of  oil  is 
effected  quickly  by  fluctuations  in  the  prices 
of  such  articles  as  hog  lard,  soap,  and  olive 
oil;  the  price  of  meal,  cake,  and  hulls  is  governed 
largely  by  the  fluctuations  in  the  price  of 
fertilizer  and  foodstuff  materials  with  which 
they  come  in  competition.  The  price  of 
linters,  another  by-product  of  the  seed,  is 
governed  by  the  same  conditions. 

Products  of  a  Ton  of  Seed.  —  There  are  al- 


154     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

together  over  fifty  useful  products  made  from 
cotton  seed.  The  following  gives  the  average 
quantity  of  the  chief  products  from  a  ton  of 
seed,  with  a  list  of  articles  made  from  each: 

{Batting,    stuffing,     hats, 
ropes,  twines,   carpets. 
11  i  J 

cellulose,     paper,    and 
explosives 

2.  Hulls  840  pounds       Feed'     feilili2er>     Pa?er' 

and  stuffing 

3.  Cake  or  meal  730  pounds       Feed,  fertilizer 

{Soap  stock,  lard,   cotto- 
lene,  butter,  salad  oil, 
•  •  M  •  »       -1     1 

olive  oil,  miners  oil,  lu- 
bricating oil  and  paints 

Uses  of  Cotton  Seed  Oil.  —  There  was  for  a 
long  time  considerable  prejudice  against  the 
use  of  cotton  seed  oils  in  food  products.  This 
has  now  been  largely  overcome,  and  we  find 
them  used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of 
compound  lard  and  cottolene;  compound  butter 
and  cooking  oils;  in  the  manufacture  of  com- 
pound olive  oil;  and, in  fact, nearly  all  compound 
oils  now  used  in  this  country  are  composed 
largely  of  cotton  seed  oil.  The  cheaper  grades 
are  used  largely  in  making  soap,  washing  powder, 
glycerine,  candles,  and  other  necessaries  which 


COTTON    BY-PRODUCTS  155 

require  a  low  grade  of  oil.  Some  of  the  oil 
is  also  used  for  medicinal  purposes,  illuminating, 
lubricating,  packing  fish,  and  to  some  extent 
for  the  manufacture  of  oils  for  paint. 

Uses  of  Meal  and  Cake.  —  The  chief  use 
of  cake  and  meal  are  for  fertilizers  and  stock 
feed.  The  following  table  shows  the  value  of 
high-grade  seed  meal  as  a  fertilizer: 

FERTILIZING    VALUE    OF   A   TON    OF    SEED 

128  Ibs.  nitrogen  @  20  cents $25.60 

54  Ibs.  phosphoric  acid  @  5  cents         .      .      .         2.70 
36  Ibs.  potash  @  s  cents  1.80 

Total  value $30.10 

In  1910  South  Carolina  used  140,000  tons 
of  cotton  seed  meal  for  fertilizer;  Georgia 
91,000  tons,  North  Carolina  70,000  tons  and 
Mississippi  56,000;  and  other  states  in  smaller 
quantities.  The  feed  value  of  cotton  seed  meal 
and  cake  for  fattening  stock  and  furnishing  a 
concentrated  ration  to  dairy  cows  is  more 
than  for  fertilizer. 

The  United  States  Secretary  of  Agriculture, 
Hon.  James  Wilson,  was  asked  a  few  years  ago 
if  he  thought  that  the  Southern  farm  lands 
could  be  made  to  produce  as  much  as  the  rich, 


156     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

high-priced  lands  of  the  Central  West.  He 
said:  "Why,  of  course.  What  is  the  hindrance? 
But  the  Southern  farmer  must  quit  sending  his 
cotton  seed  meal  over  the  world  to  enrich  other 
lands.  He  must  use  the  rich  fertilizer  himself." 
It  is  deplorable  that  the  Southern  farmer  has 
allowed  the  larger  part  of  this  valuable  fertil- 
izing and  feed  product  to  be  shipped  from  its 
native  territory  to  other  sections  of  the  United 
States  and  to  Europe.  The  full  feed  value  may 
be  derived  from  cotton  seed  products  and  at 
the  same  time,  if  the  manures  from  the  stock 
are  returned  to  the  soil,  from  70  to  90  per  cent, 
of  the  fertilizing  value  may  be  retained  on  the 
farm.  The  combined  feed  and  fertilizing  value 
of  a  ton  of  high-grade  cotton  seed  meal  when 
fed  to  animals  and  the  manure  carefully  saved 
and  returned  to  the  land  is  about  $50;  when 
used  alone  as  feed  or  a  fertilizer  its  value  is 
about  $30.  The  farmer  sustains  a  tremendous 
loss  when  he  fails  to  get  both  the  feed  and  fer- 
tilizing value  from  cotton  seed  meal.  When 
the  Southern  farmer  appreciates  the  import- 
ance of  feeding  the  meal  and  returning  the 
manure  to  the  land,  the  South  will  become  one  of 
the  greatest  stock-raising  countries  in  the  world. 


COTTON    BY-PRODUCTS  157 

Southern  farmers  should  keep  enough  stock 
to  consume  all  the  cotton  seed  meal  on  the 
farm,  but  it  will  be  years  before  they  can 
accumulate  enough  stock  to  do  this.  At 
present  some  meal  is  fed  to  dairy  cows  and 
animals  in  the  nearby  towns,  but  compara- 
tively little  of  it  goes  back  to  the  farm  except 
what  is  used  directly  in  the  form  of  fertilizer. 
Cotton  seed  meal  is  one  of  the  most  satis- 
factory forms  of  nitrogen  that  can  be  used 
in  making  mixed  fertilizers  for  the  common  farm 
crops.  It  is  not  only  rich  in  nitrogen  but 
contains  considerable  quantities  of  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash.  The  fertilizing  elements 
in  cotton  seed  meal  are  slowly  available,  a 
quality  which  makes  it  desirable  for  such  crops 
as  have  a  long  growing  period.  Unless  the 
cotton  farmer  has  enough  stock  to  consume  his 
meal,  it  will  pay  better  to  use  it  as  a  fertilizer 
than  to  send  it  away  to  enrich  other  sections. 

Hulls.  —  Hulls  are  used  for  feed,  paper, 
fertilizers  and  packing,  but  of  recent  years 
almost  the  entire  supply  has  been  utilized 
as  a  stock  feed  at  prices  ranging  from  $3  to 
$10  per  ton.  In  addition  to  the  outside  cover- 
ing of  the  cotton  seed,  the  hulls  contain  small 


KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

portions  of  kernels  or  hearts  which  add  to 
their  feeding  value.  Their  feeding  value  is 
about  that  of  cheap  grass  hay  or  half  that  of 
good  grass  hay. 

Linters.  —  The  linters  or  the  short  fiber 
that  is  taken  from  the  seed  in  the  first  process 
of  manufacture  is  used  in  making  low  grades 
of  rope,  twine,  wrappings,  and  various  other 
articles  requiring  a  cheap  grade  of  cotton. 

Other  than  a  few  minor  improvements  there 
has  been  no  changes  in  oil  mill  machinery 
for  the  past  twenty-five  years.  The  linters 
are  removed  more  closely,  and  several  gallons 
more  oil  per  ton  are  obtained  than  formerly. 


Soil  Improvement  on  Cotton  Farms 


CHAPTER   XIII 

SOIL  IMPROVEMENT  ON  COTTON  FARMS 

CAUSES  of   Depleted    Soils    on  Cotton 
Farms. —  Good  farm  lands  are  now,  and 
have  always  been,  the  greatest  asset  of 
any  state  or  nation.      The  rapidly  increasing 
population  and  the  higher  standard  of  civiliza- 
tion now  spreading  over  all  countries  will  make 
this  problem  of  good  lands  a  more  important 
one  in  the  future. 

Any  system  of  farming  that  reduces  the 
fertility  of  the  soil  or  decreases  its  crop-pro- 
ducing capacity  is  not  only  unnecessary  but 
results  in  ultimate  failure.  Extensive  investi- 
gation and  experiments  under  varied  condi- 
tions have  fully  demonstrated  that  lands 
farmed  properly  can  be  improved  and  their 
producing  capacity  greatly  increased.  There 
is  no  valid  excuse  for  wornout  farm  lands, 
and  where  they  are  found  it  is  the  fault  of 
the  man  or  his  system  and  not  of  the  land. 

161 


l62     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

The  problem  of  soil  fertility  and  how  to 
maintain  it  has  been  a  very  vital  one  to  all 
nations.  The  earliest  agricultural  literature 
mentions  the  use  of  manures  and  other  refuse 
to  make  the  soil  more  productive.  In  all 
the  old  countries  the  question  of  keeping  up 
the  soil  fertility  has  been  successfully  met. 
This  is  evidenced  by  their  being  able  to  feed 
from  the  same  lands  the  constantly  increasing 
population.  There  are  lands  in  some  of  the 
European  countries  that  are  producing,  after 
more  than  one  thousand  years  of  cultivation, 
larger  crops  than  ever  before.  The  density  of 
the  population  and  the  lack  of  room  for  expan- 
sion make  it  necessary  to  conserve  all  the  re- 
sources, and  especially  that  of  the  soil. 

In  America  there  has  been  a  very  different 
situation.  With  a  sparse  rural  population  and 
a  seemingly  unlimited  expanse  of  fertile  virgin 
soil,  the  question  of  caring  for  or  conserving 
the  soil  was  lost  sight  of  for  a  long  time.  It 
was  not  until  recently  that  the  constantly 
decreasing  yield  per  acre  of  our  soils  was 
seriously  considered.  While  the  abuse  of  farm 
lands,  idle  fields,  and  tenantless  homes  are 
noticeable  all  over  the  country,  these  are 


SOIL    IMPROVEMENT  163 

even  more  marked  in  the  cotton  states.  In 
no  country  or  in  any  age  has  there  been  such  a 
system  of  soil  robbing  as  that  practised  on  the 
Southern  farm.  The  washed  and  barren  hill- 
sides are  the  first  things  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  all  travellers  both  foreign  and  native. 
Natural  causes  are,  of  course,  partly  responsible 
for  these  conditions.  The  mild,  open  winters, 
accompanied  by  frequent  heavy  rainfalls,  with 
the  naturally  sandy  loose  soil,  make  washing 
easy.  The  principal  causes  are,  however, 
shallow  breaking  and  the  system  of  clean  cul- 
ture practised  in  cotton  farming.  With  little 
humus  in  the  soil  to  absorb  the  water  and  hold 
the  particles  together,  erosion  is  the  natural 
result.  Farther  north,  where  the  soil  is  stiffer 
and  the  rainfall  lighter,  and  with  a  more 
diversified  system  of  cropping,  soils  do  not 
wash  so  badly.  Here  also  the  surface  soils 
are  frozen  for  several  months  which  makes 
washing  impossible  for  a  large  part  of  the  year. 
In  the  early  days  of  commercial  cotton  grow- 
ing, when  fertile  lands  were  abundant  and 
cheap  and  with  slave  labor  to  produce  the 
crop  it  was  considered  more  profitable  to 
clear  new  fields  when  the  old  ones  became 


164     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

exhausted  than  to  preserve  the  fertility  of 
the  soil.  The  logical  result  of  such  a  system  was 
the  wearing  out  of  the  most  desirable  lands. 

Any  system  of  cropping  which  does  not 
return  to  the  land  the  larger  part  of  all  that  is 
grown  on  it,  either  in  the  shape  of  manure  from 
live  stock  or  by  turning  under  the  green  crops, 
will  soon  result  in  unproductive  soils.  In 
some  places,  cotton  has  been  grown  on  the 
same  land  for  generations.  This  soil  was 
evidently  very  fertile  in  the  beginning  or  it 
would  be  so  exhausted  by  now  that  it  would  not 
produce  profitable  crops. 

Dr.  B.  T.  Galloway,  Chief  of  the  Bureau 
of  Plant  Industry,  once  said,  after  visiting 
the  Cotton  States,  that  "When  the  Southern 
farmer  learned  to  diversify  and  feed  his  soil 
by  returning  to  it  what  it  produced,  a  system 
of  land  robbing  would  give  way  to  a  system  of 
land  building." 

If  only  the  lint  were  sold  from  the  cotton  farm, 
less  fertility  would  be  removed  by  it  than  any 
other  crop  known.  By  returning  the  seeds  or 
their  equivalent  in  manure  or  fertilizer,  with 
all  the  other  parts  of  the  plant,  there  should  be 
little  soil  deterioration  from  cotton  farming. 


SOIL   IMPROVEMENT  165 

Five  hundred  pounds  of  lint  cotton  removes 
less  than  two  pounds  of  nitrogen,  about  one 
half  pound  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  two  and 
one  half  pounds  of  potash.  The  seed  from  a 
bale  of  cotton,  approximately  half  a  ton,  con- 
tains thirty-one  pounds  of  nitrogen,  thirteen 
pounds  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  twelve  pounds 
of  potash.  At  prevailing  prices  the  seed  from 
each  bale  of  cotton  grown  removes  more  than 
$7  worth  of  plant  food  from  the  soil.  When  the 
farmer  sells  his  seed  without  returning  their 
equivalent  in  some  other  form  of  fertilizer 
he  robs  his  land.  It  has  been  claimed  by  many 
of  the  best  farmers,  and  with  good  reason,  that 
the  rapid  deterioration  of  soils  in  the  cotton 
States  began  with  the  construction  of  the  oil 
mill.  Before  the  day  of  the  oil  mill  cotton 
seed  were  either  fed  to  stock  or  used  as  fertil- 
izer. Since  the  introduction  of  the  oil  mill 
nearly  all  the  seed  are  sold.  The  prices  re- 
ceived are  frequently  below  the  actual  fertil- 
izing value,  and  the  money  received  is  seldom 
spent  for  plant  food  to  be  returned  to  the  soil. 

Before  the  oil  mills  came,  the  cotton  seed  were 
used  as  fertilizer  for  corn  and  it  was  a  rare 
thing  to  know  of  a  good  farmer  who  bought 


1 66     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

corn  to  run  his  farm.  The  high  prices  paid 
for  seed  in  recent  years  have,  to  a  large  extent, 
robbed  the  farms  of  this  important  fertilizer, 
and  much  of  the  money  received  for  the  cotton 
crop  has  gone  to  buy  corn  and  other  foodstuff. 

Analyses  show  that  a  ton  of  meal  contains 
about  as  much  plant  food  as  two  tons  of  raw 
seed;  but  the  feeding  value  of  a  ton  of  cotton 
seed  is  equal  to  1,400  pounds  of  meal.  These 
facts  should  be  considered  when  selling  seed 
or  exchanging  them  for  meal. 

Methods  of  Restoring  Soil  Fertility.  —  Under 
the  system  of  all  cotton  farming  the  lands  have 
greatly  deteriorated.  The  following  methods 
are  suggested  for  restoring  and  maintaining  soil 
fertility  on  cotton  farms : 

1.  Terrace  hill  lands  to  prevent  washing,  and 

drain  swamp  lands. 

2.  Grow  leguminous  crops  and  winter  cover 

crops  to  fill  the  soil  with  humus  and 
check  erosion. 

3.  Adopt  a  systematic  rotation  of  crops. 

4.  Keep  live  stock  to  consume  all  grain  and 

forage  crops  and  return  the  manure  to 
the  land. 


SOIL   IMPROVEMENT  167 

Drainage.  —  The  first  problem  in  soil  build- 
ing on  cotton  farms  is  to  check  erosion  on  the 
hill  land  and  drain  the  swamp  land.  On 
hill  lands  broad  bed  terraces  are  recommended. 
On  bottom  and  wet  lands,  tile  drainage,  or 
some  other  effective  method  of  ridding  the 
soil  of  surplus  water  should  be  adopted.  Be- 
fore any  ditching,  terracing  or  tiling  is  done, 
all  gullies  and  rough  places  should  be  filled 
up  and  the  land  put  in  fair  condition.  This 
will  make  the  work  much  easier  and  more 
effective. 

Before  permanent  terraces  are  built,  grow 
one  or  two  heavy  crops  of  peas,  or  some  other 
green  crop  which  can  be  plowed  un- 
der to  add  humus  to  the  soil.  This  will 
help  to  take  care  of  part  of  the  surplus 
water. 

Broad  embankment  terraces  of  a  width  of 
fifteen  feet,  with  a  gradual  fall  of  from  four  to 
six  inches  per  one  hundred  feet,  will 
carry  the  surplus  water  away  gradually, 
allowing  much  of  it  to  be  taken  up  by 
the  soil.  These  wide  terraces  will  permit 
the  growing  of  crops  on  all  the  land. 
When  cultivated  crops  are  planted,  lay 


1 68     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

off  the  rows  parallel  with  the  terrace,  run- 
ning the  first  rows  on  top  of  the  terrace  and 
allowing  short  rows  to  come  in  the  centre 
or  on  one  side.  The  terrace  bank  should 
be  made  high  enough  in  the  beginning  to 
avoid  any  possibility  of  overflowing  or  breaking 
while  it  is  new  and  unsettled.  The  distance 
between  the  terraces  can  be  determined  by  the 
lay  of  the  land.  Shorter  distances  will  be 
necessary  on  steep  lands  and  much  wider  space 
can  be  left  on  moderately  rolling  lands.  The 
general  rule  is  to  allow  a  three-foot  perpen- 
dicular fall  between  terraces.  Before  start- 
ing terraces  see  that  there  is  a  good  outlet  for 
the  water. 

The  laying  out  of  terraces  is  a  very  simple 
matter,  and  can  be  done  by  almost  any  farmer 
with  a  little  preliminary  instruction.  The 
implements  used  need  not  be  expensive.  A 
farm  level  can  be  bought  for  $12  or  $15,  or 
one  that  will  answer  the  purpose  can  be 
made  for  $2  by  buying  a  carpenter's  level  and 
attaching  it  to  a  frame  made  of  light  wood. 
More  physical  labor  will  be  required  to  operate 
the  home-made  level,  but  good  work  can  be 
done  with  it, 


SOIL   IMPROVEMENT  169 

On  bottom  lands  and  some  rolling  hill  lands, 
tile  drainage  is  the  best  method  for  taking  care 
of  the  water.  This  eliminates  all  ditch  banks 
and  other  obstructions. 

Green  Manure  Crops.  —  The  next  impor- 
tant step  in  soil  building  is  to  get  more 
humus  or  vegetable  matter  incorporated  in 
the  soil.  Undoubtedly  the  quickest  and  most 
effective  way  of  doing  this  is  by  means  of 
growing  leguminous  crops.  If  quick  re- 
sults are  desired,  the  whole  of  the  crop 
should  be  turned  under.  This,  perhaps, 
would  be  advisable  for  the  first  year,  under 
any  circumstances.  The  best  crops  for  this 
purpose  are  cowpeas,  soy  beans,  velvet 
beans,  and,  on  land  where  they  will  grow, 
some  of  the  clovers.  The  cowpeas  will  grow 
on  almost  any  land  in  the  Cotton  Belt.  The 
velvet  bean  can  be  grown  anywhere  in  the 
Gulf  States.  The  soy  bean  will  be  more 
beneficial  perhaps  in  some  places  on  ac- 
count of  the  diseases  that  affect  the  pea. 
Lespedeza,  bur  clover,  and  crimson  clover 
can  be  grown  on  nearly  all  soils  in  the 
South.  An  application  of  lime  will  be 
helpful  to  the  clovers  on  nearly  all  soils. 


I7O     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

By  growing  legume  crops  in  the  summer, 
turning  them  under  in  the  fall,  and  follow- 
ing with  a  crop  of  oats,  rye,  crimson  or 
bur  clover  as  a  winter  cover  crop,  the 
land  will  be  fully  protected  throughout 
the  year,  and  if  all  these  crops  are  turned 
under  the  original  fertility  will  be  rapidly 
restored.  After  one  or  two  years  of  this 
treatment  the  land  may  be  turned  over  to 
the  regular  crops  of  cotton  and  corn.  Of 
course,  this  is  not  specially  applicable  to 
soils  that  are  already  in  fairly  good  condi- 
tion. 

Crop  Rotations.  —  Rotation  of  crops  is  the 
safest  and  surest  way  of  maintaining  soil 
fertility.  On  every  farm  a  systematic  crop 
rotation  should  be  adopted.  This  rotation 
will  have  to  be  planned  to  suit  the  condi- 
tions and  the  location  of  the  farm.  What 
would  be  good  for  one  farm  might  not 
be  the  best  for  another,  even  in  the  same 
neighborhood.  A  few  suggestive  rotations 
are  given,  so  that  the  farmer  may  have  an 
idea  of  what  is  meant  by  systematic  crop 
rotation. 

Following    are    suggested    outlines    of    two, 


SOIL   IMPROVEMENT 


171 


three,  and  four  year  rotations  for  cotton  farms. 
The  legume  crops  to  be  used  with  these  rota- 
tions will  vary  in  different  sections  and  on 
different  soils: 

TWO-YEAR  ROTATION 


FIELD    NO.   I 

FIELD  NO.   2 

(ist  year) 
Corn  and  cowpeas.      Bur 
clover  as   winter  cover 
crop 

(ist  year) 
Cotton.  Bur  clover  as 
ter  cover  crop 

win- 

(2d  year) 

Cotton.     Bur    clover     as 
winter  cover  crop 

(2d  year) 

Corn    and     cowpeas.      Bur 
clover  as  winter  cover  crop 

Bur  clover  can  be  seeded  on  the  cotton  land 
from  August  I5th  to  October  15th,  depending 
on  the  latitude.  Seed  should  be  sown  in 
the  bur.  The  clover  will  mature  seed  in  the 
spring  in  time  to  prepare  the  land  for  corn. 
It  will  not  be  necessary  to  reseed  this  land 
the  following  fall.  The  land  for  cotton  will 
have  to  be  broken  in  the  spring  before  the  bur 
clover  seeds,  but  there  will  usually  be  enough 
seed  remaining  in  the  soil  from  the  past 
year  to  get  a  good  stand  of  clover  after  the 
cotton. 


172     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

Crimson  clover  is  the  best  of  all  cover  crops 
where  the  soil  has  been  inoculated.  If  crimson 
has  not  been  grown  on  the  farm  before,  only  a 
small  area  should  be  planted  at  first,  and  it 
should  be  inoculated  by  securing  soil  from  a 
THREE- YEAR  ROTATION 


FIELD  NO.   I 

FIELD  NO.   3 

FIELD   NO.  3 

(ist  year) 
Cotton.     Rye  or  crim- 
son clover  as  winter 
cover  crop 

(ist  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

(ist  year) 
Oats  and  peas 

(zd  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

(zd  year) 
Oats  and  peas 

(2d  year) 
Cotton.     Rye  or  crim- 
son clover  as  winter 
1      cover  crop 

(30"  year) 
Oats  and  peas 

(3d  year) 
Cotton.      Rye    or 
crimson  clover  as 
winter  cover  crop 

($d  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

crimson  clover  field  and  scattering  it  over  the 
land,  at  the  rate  of  from  300  to  500  pounds  per 
acre  at  the  time  of  seeding.  If  soil  cannot 
be  secured  from  a  crimson  clover  field,  fairly 
satisfactory  inoculation  may  be  obtained  from 
the  nitro-culture  bacteria  which  are  prepared 
by  the  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  and  also  by 
some  of  the  leading  seed  houses.  Unless  the 
soil  has  been  inoculated,  it  will  be  best  to  plant 
the  cotton  lands  to  rye  for  a  winter  cover  crop. 


SOIL    IMPROVEMENT  173 

Lespedeza  will  make  an  excellent  hay  crop 
on  good  land  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the  South. 

FOUR-YEAR  ROTATION 


FIELD   NO.   I 

FIELD   NO.    2 

FIELD  NO.  3 

FIELD  NO.  4 

(ist  year) 
Cotton.     Rye  or 
crimson    clover 
as  winter  cover 
crop 

(ist  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

(ist  year) 
Oats   and    les- 
pedeza 

(ist  year) 
Lespedeza 

(2d  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

(id  year) 
Oats   and   les- 
pedeza 

(zd  year) 
Lespedeza 

(zd  year) 
Cotton.    Rye  or 
crimson     clo- 
ver as  winter 
cover  crop 

(3d  year) 
Oats    and    lespe- 
deza 

(3d  year) 
Lespedeza 

(3d  year) 
Cotton.   Rye  or 
crimson     clo- 
ver as  winter 
cover  crop 

(3d  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

(4th  year) 
Lespedeza 

(^th  year) 
Cotton.  Rye  or 
crimson    clo- 
ver as   cover 
crop 

(4th  year) 
Corn  and  peas 

(4th  year) 
Oats    and    les- 
pedeza 

Lespedeza  does  not  make  sufficient  growth  on 
poor  land  to  justify  planting  it  as  a  hay  crop. 
It  should  be  sown  the  last  of  February  or  the 
first  of  March  on  the  oat  land.  Run  over  the 
land  after  sowing  seed  with  a  dragtooth  har- 
row, the  teeth  slanted  backward  at  an  angle 
of  45  degrees.  One  cutting  of  hay  can  be  se- 


174    KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

cured  and  the  lespedeza  will  reseed  itself,  and 
one  cutting  can  be  secured  the  following  year. 
Lespedeza  is  a  most  excellent  plant  for  im- 
proving the  soil.  In  sections  where  it  cannot 
be  grown  other  crops  can  be  substituted  in 
the  rotation. 

The  above  outlines  of  crop  rotations  are 
offered  only  as  suggestions.  Each  farmer  can, 
with  a  little  study,  plan  a  system  best  suited 
to  his  conditions. 

Farm  Manures.  —  The  last  but  by  no  means 
the  least  important  factor  to  be  considered 
in  building  up  the  land  and  maintaining  fertil- 
ity is  that  of  farm  manures.  The  practical 
and  experimental  results  in  the  best  farming 
countries  have  proven  that  soil  fertility  can- 
not be  most  economically  maintained  without 
the  use  of  live  stock.  The  keeping  of  sufficient 
live  stock  will  allow  the  farmer  to  get  two 
values  for  the  heavier  rough  food  products 
grown.  He  may  first  get  the  full  feed  value 
through  the  animal,  and  second  the  manure 
which  can  be  returned  to  the  land.  The  neglect 
in  preserving  and  increasing  the  supply  of 
farm  manures  has  been  a  great  drain  on  the 
American  farm,  especially  in  cotton-growing 


SOIL   IMPROVEMENT  175 

sections.  The  chief  difference  between  barn- 
yard manure  and  other  vegetable  matter  is 
that  in  the  process  of  passing  through  the  an- 
imal the  fertilizing  elements  are  made  more 
available  for  absorption  in  plant  growth. 

From  75  to  90  per  cent,  of  the  fertilizing  value 
of  the  crop  is  left  after  it  passes  through  the 
animal.  Through  neglect  in  caring  for  manures 
about  the  farm  much  of  their  fertility  is  lost. 
The  Cornell  University  Experiment  Station 
found  that  as  much  as  50  per  cent,  of  the 
plant  food  constituents  in  manure  was  lost 
by  leaching  and  unnecessary  fermentation. 
The  best  plan  for  utilizing  manures,  where  it 
can  be  done,  is  to  haul  and  spread  on  the  land 
regularly  as  it  accumulates.  Where  there  is 
no  land  available,  and  it  is  not  practicable 
to  do  this  at  all  seasons,  some  suitable  shed  or 
house  should  be  provided  that  will  thoroughly 
protect  it  from  rain  or  exposure.  One  of  the 
best  plans  for  accumulating  manures  in  stables 
or  barns  is  to  let  it  remain  and  be  trampled  by 
the  stock.  Always  supply  plenty  of  bedding 
to  absorb  all  the  liquids.  This  treatment  will 
not  only  take  up  the  moisture  but  the  continued 
trampling  of  the  animal  will  exclude  all  air. 


176     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

so  that  the  accumulation  may  go  on  without 
injury  to  its  quality  until  a  convenient  time  to 
remove  and  spread  it  on  the  land. 

One  can  readily  see  that  a  large  quantity 
of  valuable  fertilizer  could  be  accumulated 
during  the  year  with  a  limited  number  of 
animals  when  taken  into  consideration  that 
each  grown  horse  produces  about  12,000  pounds 
and  each  cow  about  20,000  pounds  per  year. 
When  the  straw  and  other  litter  is  added  to  this 
the  amount  is  largely  increased.  The  actual 
plant  food  contained  in  one  ton  of  barnyard 
manure  is  worth  at  least  $2.50,  and  it  is  safe  to 
say  that  the  farmer  will  derive  nearly  $4  worth 
of  good  from  it.  It  not  only  furnishes  $2.50 
worth  of  plant  food  but  greatly  improves  the 
mechanical  condition  of  the  soil  and  multiplies 
beneficial  bacteria. 

Some  farmers  prefer  composting  their  ma- 
nures, but  this,  except  in  rare  instances,  is  an 
additional  expense  without  adding  very  much 
to  the  actual  value  of  the  manure.  For  special 
farming  the  compost  heap  has  been  found  bene- 
ficial and  may  be  made  somewhat  as  follows: 

Locate  the  compost  heap  in  an  old  shed;  or 
build  a  shed,  with  any  kind  of  cheap  material 


1 .  Crimson  clover  in  central  Alabama,  sown  October  first, 
in  cotton  middles  after  first  picking  of  cotton.     Clover 
in  full  bloom  April  fifteenth 

2.  Corn  and  vehet  beans.     The  velvet  bean  is  a  great 
forage  and  soil  improving  crop  on  the  cotton  farms  of  the 
Gulf  Coast  country 


I 

O 


1 

bb 


.  ^V"  ™*     - 

"   ^v*'  ^\,*  •  '^^^  ^  ^-^Sir 

'  • 


a 

£ 


SOIL    IMPROVEMENT  177 

for  a  roof.  Spread  on  the  ground  a  layer 
of  stable  manure  8  by  10  feet,  six  inches  deep. 
Over  this  spread  one  hundred  pounds  of  acid 
phosphate  or  ground  phosphate  rock.  The 
ground  phosphate  rock  answers  about  as  well 
as  the  acid  phosphate  and  costs  about  half  as 
much.  Continue  these  layers  until  all  the 
manure  is  used  up  or  until  the  pile  has  become 
conveniently  high.  To  these  layers  might  be 
added  straw,  leaves,  mold,  or  other  litter,  add- 
ing one  hundred  pounds  of  ground  phosphate 
rock  to  each  ton  of  material  used.  Be  sure  to 
wet  all  thoroughly.  When  the  heap  is  com- 
pleted cover  it  about  four  inches  deep  with 
good  loam,  or  with  forest  mold,  to  prevent 
evaporation  of  the  ammonia  and  other  ele- 
ments. This  should  remain  in  the  heap  for 
several  weeks,  thoroughly  mixing  when  cutting 
down,  and  before  hauling  to  the  field  for  ap- 
plication. 

The  judicious  use  of  commercial  fertilizers 
in  combination  with  barnyard  manure  and 
green  crops  will  aid  in  soil  building,  and  will 
be  found  profitable  in  the  increased  production 
of  crops. 

With   the   best  methods  of  conserving  the 


178     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING   COTTON 

soil,  and  the  best  methods  of  tillage,  the  yield 
of  all  crops  on  the  average  cotton  farm  could 
be  more  than  doubled.  The  average  small 
yield  of  the  cotton  farm  compared  with  what 
it  might  be  is  a  heavy  tax  to  pay  for  ignorance 
and  careless  management.  How  long  shall 
we  continue  such  methods  ?  This  is  a  question 
that  must  be  answered,  not  only  for  our  own 
good,  but  for  posterity. 


Outlook  for  the  Cotton  Industry 


CHAPTER  XIV 

OUTLOOK   FOR  THE    COTTON   INDUSTRY 

SOME  apprehension  has  been  expressed  con- 
cerning the  future  of  the  cotton  industry 
in  the  United  States.  The  high  prices  of 
recent  years  and  the  demoralizing  and  de- 
structive effects  on  the  crop  in  some  sections 
by  the  boll  weevil,  have  created  uneasiness 
in  the  minds  of  the  spinners.  It  is  only  natural 
that  the  spinner  should  desire  a  sufficient  supply 
of  cotton  at  moderate  prices.  Several  European 
countries  have  spent  large  sums  of  money  in 
efforts  to  grow  cotton  in  their  colonial  pos- 
sessions that  they  might  become  independent 
of  the  American  crop.  They  employed  high 
salaried  experts  and  expended  millions  of 
dollars;  but  so  far  have  been  unable  to  produce 
cotton  of  the  desired  standard  and  in  competi- 
tion with  the  American  crop. 

The  Southern  States  have  had  a  monopoly 
of  cotton  production,  and  it  is  probable  that 

181 


1 82     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

they  will  continue  to  enjoy  this  distinction. 
The  Mexican  cotton  boll  weevil  threatened 
the  industry  but,  after  two  decades  of  experi- 
ence with  this  most  destructive  of  all  cotton 
pests,  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  cotton 
can  still  be  grown  profitably  in  the  presence 
of  the  weevil.  In  fact,  the  crop  has  con- 
stantly increased  during  the  past  five  years  with 
more  than  half  the  cotton-producing  territory 
infested.  While  there  is  little  doubt  that  this 
troublesome  pest  will  invade  every  field  where 
cotton  is  grown,  it  is  believed  that  it  will 
become  less  destructive  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  Cotton  Belt.  It  is  also  probable  that 
natural  enemies  of  the  weevil  and  better  cul- 
tural methods  will  reduce  the  damage  in 
sections  already  infested.  It  is  doubtful,  how- 
ever, whether  any  territory  once  infested  will 
ever  be  entirely  rid  of  the  weevil,  though  the 
danger  of  serious  damage  may  be  reduced 
except  in  years  of  unfavorable  climatic  con- 
ditions. 

There  is  little  reason  to  believe  that  the 
United  States  will  lose  its  supremacy  in  the 
production  of  cotton  with  their  rich  lands,  not 
only  adapted  to  cotton  but  to  the  greatest 


OUTLOOK  FOR  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY    183 

variety  of  useful  farm  crops;  their  magnificent 
forests  of  timber  for  building  purposes;  the 
great  deposits  of  oil,  coal,  iron,  phosphates, 
lime,  and  other  minerals;  with  almost  unlimited 
water  power;  and  with  a  mild  and  healthful 
climate;  but  instead,  every  reason  to  believe 
there  will  be  expansion  and  growth. 

Mr.  Edward  Atkinson,  a  large  American 
spinner,  after  trying  cotton  imported  from 
various  foreign  countries,  stated  that  none 
of  them  were  satisfactory  and  that  no  other 
country  has  a  climate  so  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  growing  of  cotton  as  ours.  He  finally 
concluded  that  the  South  would  perhaps 
have  the  monopoly  for  a  long  time.  In  his 
opinion  only  one  section,  which  is  situated  in 
South  America,  could  ever  compete  with  the 
United  States  in  growing  the  best  grades  of 
upland  cotton. 

The  English  Government  recently  appointed 
a  commission  to  investigate  the  possibilities 
of  cotton  production  in  Africa,  and  they 
reported  in  part  as  follows: 

"All  efforts  to  raise  cotton  successfully 
elsewhere  than  in  the  southern  part  of  the 


184     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

United  States  have  failed.  This  is  the  home 
of  the  cotton  plant,  and  if  it  will  grow  and  fruit 
elsewhere  to  the  extent  that  the  staple  will 
have  a  substantial  commercial  value,  the 
fact  is  yet  to  be  demonstrated.  It  was  ex- 
perimented with  under  different  suns  during 
and  after  the  American  Civil  War  and  all  the 
experiments  failed.  Providence  has  given  the 
Southern  farmer  the  monopoly  of  the  indis- 
pensable cotton  crop  and  he  need  not  take 
fright  when  the  price  soars  and  there  are  heard 
threats  of  turning  Africa,  Egypt,  and  other 
countries  into  cotton  fields,  and  making  them 
furnish  the  world's  supply." 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  industry  has 
grown  in  this  country  can  be  realized  when  we 
note  that  the  total  crop  of  the  South  thirty 
years  ago  was  only  four  million  balesj  twenty 
years  ago  it  was  six  million  bales;  ten  years 
ago  it  was  eight  million  bales,  and  the  past 
three  crops  have  averaged  nearly  fourteen 
million  bales.  Notwithstanding  these  three 
extraordinary  crops,  the  average  price  per 
pound  paid  for  them  has  been  greater  than  at 
any  time  in  thirty  years.  A  world-wide  move- 


OUTLOOK  FOR  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY    185 

ment  toward  a  higher  civilization  and  higher 
standards  of  living  has  largely  increased  the 
demand  for  cotton.  It  has  been  estimated  that 
of  the  more  than  fifteen  hundred  million  people 
on  the  earth,  only  one  third  are  well  clothed, 
one  half  are  partly  clothed,  and  the  remainder 
go  without  clothing.  Something  like  forty-two 
million  bales  would  be  necessary  to  clothe  all 
of  the  people  of  the  world  as  we  are  clothed. 
This  fact  indicates  the  immense  room  for 
expansion  in  cotton  production.  It  is  believed 
that  the  South  can  increase  the  cotton  crop 
as  rapidly  as  the  world's  demand  grows.  When 
we  consider  that  in  the  cotton  states  but  one 
acre  in  seventeen  is  devoted  to  cotton,  and 
only  one  acre  in  eleven  in  the  cotton  counties, 
there  seems  to  be  good  reason  for  this  belief. 
The  average  yield  per  acre  is  now  less  than  two 
hundred  pounds  of  lint  cotton;  but  some  of 
the  best  farmers  average  from  their  entire  farms 
from  five  hundred  to  eight  hundred  pounds  per 
acre.  This  would  indicate  the  possibility  of 
immensely  increasing  the  crop,  even  were 
there  no  increase  in  acreage. 

The  low  yields  in  the  South  may  be  largely 
ascribed  to  the  use  of  poor  seed,  run  down, 


1 86     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

depleted  soils,  and  inefficient  and  inadequate 
teams  and  tools.  The  use  of  good  seed  alone 
has  been  known  to  increase  the  crop  from  30 
to  50  per  cent.,  and  it  is  conservative  to  assume 
that  with  the  adoption  of  the  latest  methods 
in  scientific  farming  the  yields  on  the  lands 
already  devoted  to  cotton  would  be  doubled. 

The  acute  problem  confronting  the  Southern 
farmer  to-day  is  the  necessity  of  caring  for 
his  lands.  This  can  be  done  by  keeping 
live  stock  and  rotating  crops,  and  at  the  same 
time  producing  as  much  cotton  as  formerly 
on  only  half  the  acreage.  Under  such  a  sys- 
tem all  of  the  supplies  will  be  grown  at  home, 
and  the  cotton  will  be  a  surplus  cash  crop. 
The  outlook  is  very  hopeful  to  the  close  observer. 

Mr.  Arthur  W.  Page,  editor  of  the  World's 
Work,  in  an  article  analyzing  present  condi- 
tions in  the  Southern  States,  said:  "We  are 
in  sight  of  the  time  when  the  cotton  grower 
in  the  old  slave  states  will  become  the  most 
prosperous  tiller  on  the  earth." 

The  late  Alfred  B.  Shepperson,  author  of 
"  Cotton  Facts,"  in  an  address  entitled,  "The 
Sources  of  Cotton  Supply,"  before  the  New 
York  University  a  few  years  ago,  went  into 


OUTLOOK  FOR  THE  COTTON  INDUSTRY    1 87 

details  as  to  the  future  outlook  and  used  the 
following  in  his  closing  paragraphs: 

"I  am  as  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  utter 
futility  of  the  attempts  being  made  to  grow 
cotton  in  the  new  fields  of  production  as  I  am 
of  the  capacity  of  our  Southern  States  to 
readily  meet  the  increasing  requirements  of 
the  spinners  of  Europe  and  America.  Our 
European  friends  would  do  well  to  possess 
their  souls  in  patience,  and  stop  squandering 
their  money  in  visionary  schemes.  Blessed 
with  temperature,  rainfall,  better  adapted  to 
the  successful  culture  of  cotton  than  any  other 
country,  and  with  an  abundance  of  land  to 
meet  every  possible  requirement  for  expansion 
of  acreage,  the  United  States  will  undoubtedly 
maintain  in  the  future  its  present  supremacy 
in  the  cotton  production  of  the  world." 


The  Supply  and  Distribution  of  Cotton 


CHAPTER  XV 


THE    SUPPLY   AND    DISTRIBUTION    OF    COTTON 

THE  total  supply  of  cotton  in  the  United 
States  at  the  end  of  191 1  was  17,896,226 
bales.    This  represents  cotton  held  over 
from  a  previous  crop,  and  229,268  bales  imported 
from  various  other  countries.    This  is  the  largest 
supply  this  country  has  ever  accumulated. 

The  following  table  shows  the  production 
and  distribution  of  the  cotton  crop  of  the 
United  States  from  1855  to  1911: 

TABLE  VII.  —  TOTAL  CROP,  EXPORT,  AND  DOMESTIC  CON- 
SUMPTION OF  UNITED  STATES  COTTON  CROP  FOR  SPECIAL 

YEARS 


YEAR 

TOTAL    COMMERCIAL 
CROP 

TOTAL  EXPORT 

TAKING 
NORTHERN 
MILLS 

TAKING 
SOUTHERN 
MILLS 

1855  

1860  
1865..     •• 

3,665,557 
3,849,469 
2,269,2l6 

2,702,863 
6l5,032 
I  301,146 

633,OOO 
650,OOO 
1:4.1  OOO 

I38,OOO 
193,000 
I27,OOO 

1870.  

4,024,527 

2,922,257 

I,O72,OOO 

9I,OOO 

1875  

4,302,8l8 

3,037,650 

J,22O,OOO 

I34,OOO 

1880  
1885  
1890  

6,356,998 
6,369,341 
8,562,089 

4,451,495 
4,200,65  I 
5,580,319 

I,7I3,OOO 
I,78l,OOO 
2,027,000 

225,000 
381,000 
6l3,OOO 

191 


192     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 


YEAR 

TOTAL  COMMERCIAL 
CROP 

TOTAL  EXPORT 

TAKING 
NORTHERN 
MILLS 

TAKING 
SOUTHERN 
MILLS 

1895  

7,146,779 

4,76l,5O5 

i  605  ooo 

IQOO 

10  266  527 

6  806  S72 

JOQs.  . 

10  804.  i  ?6 

6  O71  4.04. 

I9O6.  . 

J3  cqc  4.08 

8  821;  236 

I9O7  

II,?7C,4.6l 

7  779  508 

i  885  ooo 

1908  

13,587  306 

8,880  724. 

2  688  ooo 

I9O9  

10,315,382 

6,491  843 

I9IO  

12,005,688 

8,008,19; 

I  OO4.  OOO 

IQII.  . 

16  250  276 

10  681  332 

TABLE  VIII. —  COTTON  ACREAGE  HARVESTED,  PRODUCTION 
AND  YIELD  LINT  PER  ACRE  AND  PRICE  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES,  FOR  SELECTED  YEARS,  1879-1911 


YEAR 

TOTAL  ACREAGE 
U.  S. 

TOTAL  CROP 
BALES 

YIELD  LINT 
PER  ACRE 

PRICE 
CENTS  PER 
POUND 

I9H  
I9IO 

36,045,000 
32  4O3,OOO 

16,109,349 
1  1  o6l  062 

210 
I7c 

9-7 
14  7 

1909  

3  2,O44,OOO 

10  386  209 

l6q 

14  3 

1908  
1907  

32,444,000 
3I,3II,OOO 

13,432,131 
II  325  882 

195 
175 

9.2 
II.5 

I9O6 

•7  I  1.7  A  OOO 

T?  •70?  26l 

2QC 

IO  O 

1905  
1904  
1903  
I9O2  

26,117,153 
30,053,739 
28,016,893 

27,114  103 

IO,725,6O2 
13,697,310 
10,015,721 

10  784.  4.73 

205 
215 

175 

JQC 

10.9 
8.7 

12.2 

8  2 

I9OI  
I9OO  
1899  

27,220,414 
25,758,139 

24,275,101 

9,748,546 

10,245,602 

9,507,786 

195 
205 
220 

8.1 
9-3 
7.6 

1898 

24  967  2QC, 

III  89  205 

24.O 

4Q 

1897 

24  3  19  ^84 

TO  807  8^7 

2-1  c 

q  6 

1896  .... 

21  273  2OO 

8  C12  70? 

IOC 

7-3 

1895  

20,184,808 

7  161  094 

I7*> 

8.2 

1894  

123,687,950 

9,901,251 

2O5 

5  -9 

1891 

Q  C2C  OOO 

7  4.Q.3  OOO 

IQO 

7  <» 

1889  

2O,I75,27O 

7,472,511 

185 

8.4 

1884 

17  4-TQ  6l2 

5  682  ooo 

l6^ 

10.5 

1879  

14,480,019 

5,755,359 

195 

12.  0 

SUPPLY   AND    DISTRIBUTION 


193 


World's  Production  of  Cotton  (U.  S. Census).— 
Cotton  can  be  grown  over  a  wide  area  of  the 
earth's  surface,  but  its  profitable  production 
is  limited  to  certain  well-defined  sections.  For 
some  countries  satisfactory  data  regarding 
the  production  of  cotton  are  not  available. 
The  following  table,  showing  production  by 
countries,  from  1907  to  1911  inclusive,  is 
believed  to  approximate  the  facts. 

TABLE  IX.  —  PRODUCTION  OF  COTTON  FOR  MILL  CONSUMP- 
TION, BY  COUNTRIES,  1907  TO 


COTTO 

N  PRODUCTIO 

N  (BALES  OF 

SOO  POUNDS 

NET) 

1911 

I9IO 

1909 

1908 

1907 

Total 

22,297,000 

l8,7H,000 

16,777,000 

19,636,000 

16,512,000 

U.  S  
British 
India.  .  . 
Egypt  
Russia.  .  .  . 
China  
Brazil  
Peru  

15,546,000 

2,514,000 
1,450,000 
1,200,000 
625,000 
320,000 
128,000 

11,483,000 

3,082,000 
I,5O6,OOO 
900,000 

775,000 
310,000 
128  ooo 

9,863,000 

3,774,000 
911,000 
720,000 
600,000 
360,000 
107  ooo 

I3,O02,COO 

2,953,000 
1,275,000 
846,000 
600,000 
425,000 
80,000 

10,882,000 

2,498,000 
1,296,000 
620,000 
426,000 
370,000 
55,ooo 

Turkey  .  .  . 
Mexico.    .  . 
Persia  .... 
All      other 
countries 

124,000 
100,000 
80,000 

210,000 

105,000 
135,000 

92,000 
195,000 

32,000 
125,000 
90,000 

195,000 

80,000 
140,000 
50,000 

185,000 

80,000 
70,000 
50,000 

165,000 

The  average  production  for  mill  consumption 
during  the  five  years  shown  in  the  table  was 
T8,787,ooo  bales,  or  3,510,000  bales  less  than 


194     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

the  production  of  1911.  In  addition  to  the 
amounts  shown  in  the  table,  large  quantities 
of  the  fiber  are  produced  in  some  countries 
and  consumed  in  the  homes  of  the  people, 
without  entering  commercial  channels;  but 
the  amount  of  such  cotton  cannot  be  estimated 
with  any  degree  of  accuracy. 


J>ropcrtoi.«/MloJ< 


nption,  ty  countria  (yta.tn&ng  Aufutt  St. 
,1311). 


Diagram  I 


Diagram  II 


The  relative  importance  of  the  several  cotton-producing 
countries  is  graphically  presented  in  Diagram  I.  Of  the 
total  production  of  commercial  cotton  in  1911,  the  United 
States  contributed  69.7  per  cent.;  British  India,  11.3  per 
cent.;  Egypt,  6.5  per  cent.;  and  Russia,  5.4  per  cent. 

The  relative  importance  of  the  several  countries  in  the 
consumption  of  cotton  is  shown  in  Diagram  II. 


Supplement 


SUPPLEMENT 

There  are  many  agencies  now  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  practical  and  scientific 
information  to  the  farmer  in  helping  him  solve 
his  problems.  Among  these  are  the  State 
Agricultural  Colleges  and  Experiment  Stations, 
the  Industrial  and  Agricultural  Agents  em- 
ployed by  the  railroads,  the  U.  S.  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  through  its  Demonstration 
Agents  and  other  employees,  and  the  Editors 
of  Agricultural  Papers. 

DIRECTORS  OF  UNITED   STATES  AGRICULT- 
URAL  EXPERIMENT   STATIONS   IN 
THE  COTTON  BELT 

ALABAMA 

J.  F.  Guggar,  Director,  College  Station,  Auburn. 
L.  H.  Moore,  Director,  Canebrake  Station,  Uniontown. 
G.  W.  Carver,  Director,  Tuskeegee  Station,  Tuskeegee 
Inst. 

ARKANSAS 

C.  F.  Adams,  Director,  State  Station,  Fayetteville. 

CALIFORNIA 

T.  F.  Hunt,  Director,  State  Station,  Berkeley. 

197 


198     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

FLORIDA 

P.  H.  Rolfs,  Director,  Gainesville. 

GEORGIA 

R.  J.  H.  DeLoach,  Director,  Experiment. 

HAWAII 
E.  V.  Wilcox  (Special  Agent  in  Charge),  Federal  Station, 

Honolulu. 
C.  F.  Eckart,  Director,  Sugar  Planters'  Station,  Honolulu. 

ILLINOIS 
E.  Davenport,  Director,  Urbana. 

ISLAND    OF    GUAM 

John  B.  Thompson(Special  Agent  in  Charge),  Guam. 

KANSAS 

W.  M.  Jardine,  Director  (Acting),  Manhattan. 

KENTUCKY 

J.  H.  Kastle,  Director,  Lexington. 

LOUISIANA 

W.  R.  Dodson,  Director,  State  Station,  Baton  Rouge. 
W.  R.  Dodson,  Director,  Sugar  Station,  New  Orleans. 
W.  R.  Dodson,  Director,  N.  Louisiana  Station,  Calhoun. 
W.  R.  Dodson,  Director,  Rice  Exp.  Station,  Crowley. 

MISSISSIPPI 

E.  R.  Lloyd,  Director,  Agricultural  College. 

MISSOURI 

F.  B.  Mumford,  Director,  College  Station,  Columbia. 
P.  Evans,  Director,  Fruit  Station,  Mountain  Grove. 

NEW  MEXICO 
Fabian  Garcia,  Director,  State  College. 


SUPPLEMENT 

NORTH   CAROLINA 

B.  W.  Kilgore,  Director,  College  Station,  W.  Raleigh. 
B.  W.  Kilgore,  Director,  State  Station,  Raleigh. 

OKLAHOMA 

J.  A.  Wilson,  Director,  Stillwater. 

PORTO   RICO 

D.  W.  May,  (Special  Agent  in  Charge),  Federal  Station, 

Mayaguez. 
J.  T.  Crawley,  Director,  Sugar  Producers'  Station,  Rio 

Piedras. 

SOUTH    CAROLINA 

J.  N.  Harper,  Director,  State  Station,  Clemson  College. 

TENNESSEE 

H.  A.  Morgan,  Director,  State  Station,  Knoxville. 

TEXAS 
B.  Youngblood,  Director,  State  Station,  College  Station. 

VIRGINIA 

S.  W.  Fletcher,  Director,  State  Station,  Blacksburg. 
T.  C.  Johnson,  Director,  Truck  Station,  Norfolk. 

INDUSTRIAL  AND   DEMONSTRATION   AGENTS 
EMPLOYED  BY  THE  RAILROADS 

SOUTHERN  RAILROAD  —  DEPARTMENT  OF  FARM 

IMPROVEMENT  WORK 
T.  O.  Plunkett,  Manager,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

ASSISTANT   MANAGERS 

R.  E.  Grabel,  Charlotte,  N.  C. 

W.  D.  Clayton,  Chattanooga,  Tenn. 

Roland  Turner,  Meridian,  Miss. 


2OO     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

FIELD   AGENTS 

W.  M.  Brown,  Manassas,  Va. 
R.  O.  McCord,  Danville,  Va. 
W.  E.  Perry,  Greensboro,  N.  C. 
J.  H.  Hendricks,  Columbia,  S.  C. 
R.  A.  Stratford,  Hazlehurst,  Ga. 
T.  E.  Waldrup,  Valdosta,  Ga. 
Frank  Shorter,  West  Point,  Va. 
George  Reese,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
S.  A.  Miller,  Johnson  City,  Tenn. 

B.  M.  Anderson,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 
T.  J.  Griffith,  Danville,  Ky. 

C.  C.  Prescott,  Harriman,  Tenn. 

C.  R.  Shepherd,  Attalla,  Ala. 

V.  P.  Atkinson,  Tuscumbia,  Ala. 
J.  M.  Draper,  Anniston,  Ala. 
T.  U.  Culver,  Maplesville,  Ala. 
H.  L.  Hopper,  Tuscaloosa,  Ala. 

D.  D.  Malone,  Jackson,  Tenn. 
S.  M.  Byars,  Corinth,  Miss. 
W.  C.  Proctor,  Itta  Bena,  Miss. 

E.  B.  Randle,  West  Point,  Miss. 

E.  E.  Burrows,  Okolona,  Miss. 

A.  H.  Moorman,  Lauderdale,  Miss. 
R.  V.  Jarrott,  Waynesboro,  Miss. 
J.  G.  Shand,  Thomasville,  Ala. 

F.  S.  Long,  Cuba,  Ala. 
H.  C.  Bates,  Akron,  Ala. 

W.  E.  Birch,  Asheville,  N.  C. 
A.  H.  Chapman,  Greenville,  S.  C. 

LIVE    STOCK   AGENT 

F.  L.  Word,  Atlanta,  Ga. 


SUPPLEMENT  2OI 

ASSISTANT   LIVE    STOCK   AGENTS 

Dr.  Walter  Sorrell,  Greensboro,  N.  C. 
Dr.  C.  D.  Lowe,  Morristown,  Tenn. 
Dr.  Charles  J.  Becker,  Birmingham,  Ala. 

DAIRY   AND    POULTRY  AGENT 

Dr.  C.  M.  Morgan,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

ASSISTANT   DAIRY   AND    POULTRY   AGENTS 

C.  T.  Rice,  Greensboro,  N.  C. 
Walter  W.  Fitzpatrick,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

F.  H.  Denniss,  Columbus,  Miss. 
C.  A.  Hutton,  Knoxville,  Tenn. 

G.  W.  Humphrey,  Birmingham,  Ala. 
Carlton  Ball,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

MARKET  AGENTS 

J.  M.  Seahorn,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
E.  M.  Lane,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
E.  L.  Robison,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
M.  M.  Emmert,  Washington,  D.  C. 

CENTRAL  OF  GEORGIA  RAILWAY 
J.  F.  Jackson,  Agricultural  Agent,  Savannah,  Ga. 
T.  G.  Chastain,  Agriculturist,  Savannah,  Ga. 

ATLANTIC  COAST  LINE  RAILWAY 

Wilbur   McCoy,   Agricultural   and   Immigration   Agent, 
Jacksonville,  Fla. 

SEABOARD  AIR  LINE  RAILWAY 

J.  A.  Pride,  General  Industrial  Agent,  Norfolk,  Va. 
H.  T.  Prosser,  Agricultural  Agent,  Hamlet,  N.  C. 
J.  W.  Scott,  Agricultural  Agent,  Hamlet,  N.  C. 
E.  D.  Mays,  Agricultural  Agent,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 
A.  P.  Fant,  Asst.  Industrial  Agent,  Jacksonville,  Fla. 


2O2     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

LOUISVILLE  AND  NASHVILLE  RAILROAD 
G.  A.  Park,  General  Immigration  and  Industrial  Agent, 

Louisville,  Ky. 

L.  H.  Lister,  Agricultural  Agent,  Bay  Minette,  Ala. 
T.  E.  McElroy,  Agricultural  Agent,  Columbia,  Tenn. 
John  Lister,  Agricultural  Agent,  Pensacola,  Fla. 
Karl  R.  Wundt,  Agricultural  Agent,  Etowah,  Tenn. 
William  James,  Agricultural  Agent,  Montgomery,  Ala. 
S.  A.  Scott,  Agricultural  Agent,  Foley,  Ala. 

GULF  AND  SHIP  ISLAND  RAILROAD 

F.  H.  Lister,  Ind.  and  Immigration  Agent,  Gulfport,  Miss. 
J.  J.  Taylor,  Agricultural  Agent,  McHenry,  Miss. 

ILLINOIS  CENTRAL  RAILROAD 
J.  C.  Clair,  Industrial  and  Immigration  Commissioner, 

Chicago,  III. 
Charles  N.  Brumfield,  Agriculturist,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

KANSAS  CITY  SOUTHERN  RAILWAY 
J.  Hollister  Tull,  Agriculturist,  Mena,  Ark. 

FRISCO  LINES 

W.  L.  English,  Supervisor  of  Agriculture,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
E.   G.   Barnard,   Farm   Demonstrator,   Oklahoma   City, 

Okla. 

N.  T.  McAlister,  Farm  Demonstrator,  Springfield,  Mo. 
B.  W.  White,  Farm  Demonstrator,  Springfield,  Mo. 
D.  C.  Cornman,  Farm  Demonstrator,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
H.  H.  Harrington,  Agricultural  Director  Kingsville,  Texas. 
Theo.  Kreuz,  Demonstration  Agent,  Kingsville,  Texas. 

MISSOURI,    KANSAS,    AND    TEXAS   RAILWAY    COMPANY 

OF  TEXAS 

T.  L.  Peeler,  Industrial  Commissioner,  Dallas,  Texas. 
R.  W.  Hockaday,  Industrial  Commissioner,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 


SUPPLEMENT  2O3 

ST.  Louis  SOUTHWESTERN  RAILWAY  Co. 
W.  R.  Beattie,  Agricultural  Commissioner,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
P.   T.    Cole,   Assistant   Agricultural    Commissioner,    St. 

Louis,  Mo. 

L.  E.  Saupe,  Assistant,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
C.  C.  Rockenbach,  Assistant,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

ATCHISON,  TOPEKA  AND  SANTA  FE  RAILWAY  Co. 
H.  M.  Bainer,  Agriculturist,  Amarillo,  Texas. 
J.  D.  Tinsley,  Agriculturist,  Brown  wood,  Texas. 

MISSOURI  PACIFIC  RAILWAY 

G.  K.Andrews,  Agricultural  Commissioner,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
ST.  Louis,  IRON  MOUNTAIN  AND  SOUTHERN  RAILWAY 
L.  A.  Markham,  Agricultural  Commissioner,  Little  Rock, 

Ark. 
TEXAS  &  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  Co.  AND  INTERNATIONAL 

AND  GREAT  NORTHERN  RAILWAY  Co. 
R.  R.  Claridge,  Agricultural  Commissioner,  Longview, 
Texas. 

ROCK  ISLAND  LINES 
H.  M.  Cottrell,  Agricultural  Commissioner,  Chicago,  111. 

(736  La  Salle  St.  Station). 
E.  R.  Bennett,  Horticulturist,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

SUNSET  CENTRAL  ROUTE 

(Including  Galveston,  Harrisburg  &  San  Antonio  Rail- 
way Co.,  Texas  &  New  Orleans  Railroad  Co.,  Hous- 
ton &  Texas  Central  Railroad  Co.,  Houston,  East  & 
West  Texas  Railroad  Co.,  Houston  &  Shreveport 
Railroad  Co.) 

H.  P.  Attwater,  Agricultural  Agent,  Houston,  Texas. 

W.  P.  Young,  Agricultural  Agent,  Houston,  Texas. 


2O4     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

NEW  ORLEANS,  MOBILE  &  CHICAGO  RAILROAD  Co. 
L.   L.   Lawrence,   Manager  Agricultural   and   Industrial 

Department,  Laurel,  Miss. 

H.    H.    Bolton,    Agricultural    and    Immigration    Agent, 
Mobile,  Ala. 

EDITORS  OF  AGRICULTURAL  PAPERS 
G.  F.  Hunnicutt,  Editor,  Southern  Cultivator,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
R.  A.  Niven,  Editor,  Southern  Farming,  Atlanta,  Ga. 
J.  S,  Gates,  Editor,  Southern  Planter,  Richmond,  Va. 
Editor,  Farmers1  Union  Sun,  Columbia,  S.  C. 
L.C.  Neele,  Editor,  Southern  Agriculturist,  Nashville, Tenn. 
Dr.  H.  E.  Stockbridge,  Editor,  Southern  Ruralist,  Atlanta, 

Ga. 
W.    C.    Stubbs,    Editor,     The   Louisiana   Planter,    New 

Orleans,  La. 
R.  J.  Nelson,  Editor,  Farm  and  Ranch,  Dallas,  Texas. 

D.  N.  Barrow,  Editor,  Texas  Farmer,  Dallas,  Texas. 
John  Fields,  Editor,  Oklahoma  Farm  Journal,  Oklahoma 

City,  Okla. 

Edgar  A.  Wright,  Editor,   The  Florida  Grower,  Tampa, 
Fla. 

E.  O.  Wild,  Editor,  Gulf  States  Farmer,  New  Orleans,  La. 
Clarence  H.  Poe,  Editor,  Progressive  Farmer,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Dr.  Tate  Butler,  Editor,  Progressive  Farmer,  Memphis, 

Tenn. 

John   Small,   Editor,  Arkansas  Homestead,  Little  Rock, 
Ark. 

DEMONSTRATION  AGENTS  OF  THE  U.  S 
DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

The     Farmers'     Cooperative     Demonstration     Work, 
organized  by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  now 


SUPPLEMENT  2O5 

has  an  Agricultural  Agent  in  nearly  every  county  in  the 
South.  This  work  is  now  being  carried  on  by  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture  in  cooperation  with  the  State 
Agricultural  Colleges  and  the  State  Departments  of 
Agriculture. 

Farmers  desiring  information  on  agricultural  subjects 
can  address  communications  to: 
Mr.  Bradford  Knapp,  Special  Agent  in  Charge,  Bureau 

of  Plant  Industry,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Mr.  J.  A.  Evans,  General  Assistant,   Bureau  of  Plant 

Industry,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  W.  B.  Mercier,  Agriculturist  and  Field  Agent  for 
the    states    of    Louisiana,    Arkansas,   and  Tennessee, 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  Washington,  D.  C. 
H.  E.  Savely,  Agriculturist  and  Field  Agent  for  the  states 
of     Alabama,     Georgia,     Florida,    and    Mississippi, 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Mr.  E.  Gentry,  Agriculturist  and  Field  Agent  for  the  states 
of  Oklahoma  and  Texas,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry, 
Washington,  D.  C. 

,   Agriculturist    and    Field    Agent   for    the 

states  of  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  Virginia, 
and  Maryland,  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

STATE    AND    DISTRICT    AGENTS    IN    THE 
FARMERS'  COOPERATIVE  DEMONSTRA- 
TION   WORK,    U.    S.    DEPARTMENT 
OF  AGRICULTURE 

ALABAMA 

B.  L.  Moss,  State  Agent,  701  Bell  Building,  Montgomery, 

Ala. 
A.  D.  Whitehead,  District  Agent,  Greenville,  Ala. 


206     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

J.  T.  Watt,  District  Agent,  Talladega,  Ala. 
W.   L.   Lett,  District  Agent,   701   Bell  Building,  Mont- 
gomery, Ala. 

ARKANSAS 

C.  W.  Watson,  State  Agent,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 
J.  C.  Barnett,  District  Agent,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 
R.  C.  Davidson,  District  Agent,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 
W.  F.  Haden,  District  Agent,  Little  Rock,  Ark. 

FLORIDA 

A.  S.  Meharg,  State  Agent,  Lakeland,  Fla. 
W.  L.  Watson,  District  Agent,  Live  Oak,  Fla. 

GEORGIA 

J.  Phil.  Campbell,  State  Agent,  Athens,rGa. 
W.  O.  Cornelius,  District  Agent,  Cedartown,  Ga. 
S.  M.  Cown,  District  Agent,  Union  City,  Ga. 
G.  V.  Cunningham,  District  Agent,  Tifton,  Ga. 
J.  W.  Hendricks,  District  Agent,  Savannah,  Ga. 
J.  G.  Oliver,  District  Agent,  Macon,  Ga. 

LOUISIANA 

Mason  Snowden,  State  Agent,  Shreveport,  La. 
L.  M.  Calhoun,  District  Agent,  Gilbert,  La. 
L.  E.  Perrin,  District  Agent,  St.  Landry,  La. 
J.  E.  Wemple,  District  Agent,  Arcadia,  La. 

MARYLAND 

Dr.  Augustus  Stabler,  District  Agent,  Bureau  of  Plant 
Industry,  Washington,  D.  C. 

MISSISSIPPI 

R.  S.  Wilson,  State  Agent,  Columbus,  Miss. 
J.  W.  Willis,  District  Agent,  Grenada,  Miss. 
P.  P.  Garner,  District  Agent,  West  Jackson,  Miss. 


SUPPLEMENT  2O7 

NORTH    CAROLINA 

C.  R.  Hudson,  State  Agent,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
T.  E.  Browne,  District  Agent,  Ahoskie,  N.  C. 
T.  D.  McLean,  District  Agent,  Carthage,  N.  C. 

E.  S.  Millsaps,  District  Agent,  Statesville,  N.  C. 

OKLAHOMA 

W.  D.  Bentley,  State  Agent,  Yukon,  Okla. 
J.  M.  Daily,  District  Agent,  Muskogee,  Okla. 

F.  F.  Ferguson,  District  Agent,  Minco,  Okla. 

SOUTH    CAROLINA 

W.  W.  Long,  State  Agent,  Clemson  College,  S.  C. 
L.  L.  Baker,  District  Agent,  Bishopville,  S.  C. 
W.  H.  Barton,  District  Agent,  Simpsonville,  S.  C 
W.  R.  Elliott,  District  Agent,  Winnsboro,  S.  C. 

TENNESSEE 

H.  D.  Tate,  State  Agent,  909  Stahlman  Building,  Nash- 
ville, Tenn. 

J.  M.  Dean,  District  Agent,  Columbia,  Tenn. 
H.  S.  Nichols,  District  Agent,  Jackson,  Tenn. 
C.  F.  Striplin,  District  Agent,  Maryville,  Tenn. 

TEXAS 

W.  F.  Proctor,  State  Agent,  College  Station,  Texas. 

J.  L.  Quicksall,  Asst.  State  Agent,  1808  S.  I2th  Street, 

Waco,  Texas. 

William  Ganzer,  District  Agent,  Denton,  Texas. 
M.  T.  Payne,  District  Agent,  Temple,  Texas. 

G.  W.  Orms,  District  Agent,  Mineola,  Texas. 

T.  O.  Walton,  District  Agent,  Livingston,  Texas. 


208     KNAPP  METHOD  OF  GROWING  COTTON 

VIRGINIA 

T.  O.  Sandy,  State  Agent,  Burkeville,  Va. 
F.  S.  Farrar,  District  Agent,  Jetersville,  Va. 
W.  P.  Moore,  District  Agent,  Forest  Depot,  Va. 
W.  C.  Shackleford,  District  Agent,  Proffit,  Va. 


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